


Your Crowning Glory

by pasteldanhowells, rainbowchristy



Series: Your Crowning Glory Verse [1]
Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Arranged Marriage, Bisexual Dan Howell, Cheating, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Gay Phil Lester, Homophobia, Inspired by The Princess Diaries 2, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Mild Non-con elements, Modern Royalty, Prince Dan Howell, Rivalry, Royal Phil Lester
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:21:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 41,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26457109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pasteldanhowells/pseuds/pasteldanhowells, https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainbowchristy/pseuds/rainbowchristy
Summary: Dan is 18 years old when the news is suddenly sprung upon him that he is next line to be the next king of Genovia, but things don’t go as smoothly as he thought, between having a suddenly busy schedule, a new lifestyle, an arranged marriage that Dan has no control over, and worst of all, Philip Lester trying to steal his crown.
Relationships: Chris Kendall/PJ Liguori, Dan Howell/PJ Liguori, Dan Howell/Phil Lester
Series: Your Crowning Glory Verse [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2073546
Comments: 41
Kudos: 38





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is for the phandombigbang 2020 edition! **Tori** (pasteldanhowells/dxnhowell) and I ( **rainbowchristy** ) have put a lot of time and effort into this fic so we really hope you like it!
> 
> Please see the wonderful mood-boards by **Lin** (anironsidh) [**here**](https://anironsidh.tumblr.com/post/629229175769858048/i-participated-in-the-phandombigbang-this-year)! And thank you to **Lou** (counting2fifteen) for all your help beta’ing our fic!
> 
> Disclaimer: This is heavily inspired by The Princess Diaries 2. You do not need to have seen the movie (or the 1st one) to read this, but if you have not seen it, be warned! There will be spoilers!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by Tori aka dxnhowell.
> 
> A/N: Welcome to our pbb fic! We had a lot of fun writing this together and we hope you like the introduction to our big fic! This chapter is a starter chapter of Dan's new life in becoming the king of Genovia!
> 
> TW: Swearing.

Dan takes a deep breath as the limo pulls up to the castle, which is now his home.

It’s been a while since his last visit to Genovia. A lot of things have changed since his last visit. Dan’s a graduate now. He’s officially done with school. Oh, and he’s about to become king of Genovia.

Dan almost didn’t believe it when his grandma told him out of nowhere that he’s to be the next in line for the throne. After all, he’s a teenager who’s only just finished school, and now his whole world is about to completely change. He’s terrified, but he knows his grandma will point him in the right direction.

“Prince Daniel James Howell Ronaldi has arrived,”

“Welcome home, Prince Daniel.”

The limo door opens, and Dan steps out. He looks up at Charlotte and gives her a reassuring smile. “Please, Charlotte. Call me Dan,” he says, thanking the limo driver before walking up to Charlotte. “And, thank you, as well. Please tell me my grandma is already waiting for me?”

“Of course she is. She’s waiting inside for you right now,” Charlotte informs him. “She’s also very excited to show around you the castle, and your new room, as well.”

“My new room?” Dan asks, blinking a few times, before following Charlotte up the stairs.

Dan can feel his heart pounding against his chest as his nerves start kicking in. Now that he’s officially here in Genovia, in the castle, it’s all becoming real. Dan really is about to become king. Dan’s unsure if he’s ready to become the king of Genovia. He still has so much to learn, with very little time. Genovia may be small, but there’s still a lot of people counting on him once he becomes their ruler.

The last thing Dan wants to happen is to disappoint a whole kingdom.

“Grandma!” Dan says excitedly as soon as he spots his grandma patiently waiting for him in the entryway. He immediately rushes over to her and hugs her. “It’s so good to see you again.”

“You as well, my dear. Welcome home. How was your flight?” his grandma asks as she gently wraps a comforting arm around his shoulders, leading him away from all the commotion.

“It was… okay. Nice and relaxing. I actually enjoyed it, with it being my first time flying in a private jet,” Dan replies, looking up at his grandma. “Feeling a little nervous being here, though.”

“There’s absolutely nothing to be nervous about, sweetheart. Everything is going to be just fine, Daniel,” she assures him. “I know it’s scary right now, but we’re going to teach you everything you need to know about becoming a king, and you’ll learn all the do’s and don’t’s.”

“I know. You’re the best teacher there is to teach me. It’s just… it’s just, ugh, a lot to take in right now,” Dan sighs. “I’ll try my best to make you proud. That’s all I can say, I guess, huh?”

“I know you will. I’m not worried about you at all. Now, come with me. Your room was finished just in time for your arrival,” Clarisse says, leading the way up the stairs and through the hallway to Dan’s new bedroom. “Should have been ready for you well before your arrival. But, this will make do.”

“It’s fine, grandma. I honestly wasn’t even expecting a new room makeover,” Dan admits.

“Well, welcome to your new home,” Clarisse says as she opens the doors to Dan’s new bedroom.

Dan stands in shock as the doors are pushed open and he sees his new bedroom. The bedroom isn’t _huge_ from what he can see so far, but it’s definitely a lot more elegant than what Dan is used to living in.

“Holy-” Dan begins to say, but he quickly stops himself when he sees the look his grandma throws him a warning look. Dan’s used to swearing back at home, but he knows swearing won’t be allowed once he becomes the king. Dan slowly starts walking into the bedroom and looks around in amazement. “You’ve outdone yourself, grandma,” he says. He walks over to the couch and gracefully sits down, crossing his legs, as he looks over at his grandma. “This is nice. I mean, this is _really_ … nice. I don’t even know what to say.”

Clarisse smiles proudly. “I’m glad you like it,” she says.

“I love it,” Dan says. He looks over at the bed and grins mischievously, before standing up, making a running start towards the bed and jumping onto the bed, landing on his back. “This is so cool!” He sighs happily, then he looks over when he hears a meow and sees a cat running into the bedroom. “Uhm?”

“Oh, looks like Fat Louie is enjoying the new room as well,” Clarisse says.

“Fat Louie?” Dan asks, frowning, as he pushes himself up. “Who is Fat Louie, Grandma?”

“Well, for your welcome home gift, I figure I’d get you a little friend to keep you some company. His name is Fat Louie, and he’s a rescue. I think you two will get along just fine,” she watches as Fat Louie jumps up onto his cat castle. It’s _literally_ a castle. For a cat. His grandma truly goes all out for _everything_.

Clarisse looks over and frowns slightly when she sees the look on Dan’s face. “Daniel? Are you alright?”

Dan looks over at his grandma, and bites his lip slightly. “It’s just… you know, I appreciate the gift, but… I’m- I’m not really the biggest fan of cats. Never really get along with them.”

“That’s alright, dear. Fat Louie is a wonderful cat. Easy to look after. Easy to please,” she tells him. “But, I’ve got something better that might impress you.” She motions for Dan to follow her, to which he does. She leads him over towards another set of doors and pulls out a little remote. “Well, go on.”

Dan hesitates before pressing a button on the remote, and his eyes widen even more when the doors open and the lights come on. Dan looks up and gasps when he sees that it’s a massive wardrobe.

“Daniel, I know fashion isn’t something you’re interested in, but if you’re going to become Genovia’s king, you'll need to dress nicely for your people. You need to be elegant and respectable,” Clarisse tells him.

“Oh my-” Dan begins, looking around the closet. There are many drawers and displays of clothes, shoes, sunglasses, pretty much everything a king would need in a wardrobe. “This is… unbelievable, Grandma!”

Clarisse chuckles, and then leads Dan over to one of the corner displays. “Now try, 656…”

“Okay,” Dan presses the combination of 656 and looks up to see a display of crowns. “Grandma…”

“Every king needs a crown,” Clarisse says, smiling as she looks over at Dan.

“Wow,” Dan whispers. “Can I?” He looks over at his grandma, immediately wanting to touch one.

“Of course. They’re yours now, after all,” Clarisse says.

Dan grins, and then he looks over and examines the sixteen crowns that sit in the display. He spots a shiny, silver crown, and immediately reaches over to grab it and carefully places it on his head.

“How does it look?” Dan asks, turning to face his grandma.

Clarisse chuckles, and reaches over to fix the crown so it’s straightened out on Dan’s head. “Perfect.”

Dan takes a deep breath, and then he turns to look in the mirror behind him. The crown is on his head, but he still doesn’t feel like a king, nor ready to be a king. “I don’t know, Grandma… Do you really think that I’m ready to be a king? That I’ll be ready to rule an entire _kingdom_?

Clarisse sighs, and moves to stand behind Dan. “You’ve still got a long way to go, Daniel. But, trust me, we’ll have you prepared when the time comes for you to officially be crowned the King Of Genovia,” Clarisse says, placing a hand on Dan’s shoulder comfortingly.

“Oh, don’t worry, grandma. I trust you,” Dan says.

“Now, enough of that, let’s have a look at the rest of your wardrobe, shall we?” Clarisse says, carefully taking the crown off Dan’s head and placing it back on the display.

Dan smiles, presses another button on the remote, and looks up to see a new set of doors opening, showing him all of his nice dress shirts. Dan’s never had this many nice clothes before in his life, growing up as quite poor.

Back home, he only had a select few outfits to get him through the week. “Wow. These are really nice, grandma. I know I said that I don’t really care about fashion but I-” Dan gasps when he suddenly feels something grab onto his leg. He looks down and lets out a scream when he sees an arm popping out of the closet. “What the hell?”

“Boo!”

Then Dan’s childhood best friend from home, Louise, is jumping out of the closet.

Dan squeals excitedly. “Lou!” He quickly helps her up from the ground and pulls her into a hug.

Louise laughs as she hugs Dan back. “Gotcha, didn’t I?”

“Louise, what the hell are you doing here?” Dan asks, pulling back from the hug to look at her. “I mean, not that I’m mad about you being here. It’s actually nice to see a familiar face around here.”

“Actually, I’ve been here for two days. Your grandmother thought it would be nice if I flew here, you know, to help you settle down and make you feel comfortable and at home,” Louise explains. “Of course I agreed once she told me about Genovia. Gosh, this place is _beautiful_ , Dan!”

Dan smiles. “I know. It’s incredibly beautiful. Wait a minute, you’ve been here for _two days_?” He looks over at his grandma and raises his eyebrows at her, but she only smiles at him, not saying anything.

“Well, yes. Who do you think helped finish this fancy new bedroom of yours?” Louise asks, grinning.

Dan rolls his eyes playfully, and then he gently pulls Louise into another tight hug. “Of course _you_ would. It’s so good to see you again! We have so much to catch up on.”

“Um, duh!” Louise pulls away from the hug. “I mean, hello? You’re going to be a king!” She shakes Dan with excitement bursting through her. “You’re going to be a wonderful king, Dan.”

“Keep telling him that,” Clarisse speaks up, earning Louise’s attention. “I mean that. He’s lacking a whole lot of self-confidence in his ability to be Genovia’s king.”

“Grandma,” Dan groans, burying his face in his hands. “I do not lack self-confidence!”

“Ah, that’s a lie,” Louise says, raising her eyebrows at Dan. “I heard you and your grandma talking in here. We have _so_ much to work on, _Prince_ Daniel.”

Dan rolls his eyes as he looks over at Louise, but he’s not surprised that she’s taking his grandma’s side, because he had a feeling the two would get on with each other once they met.

“Which is why, unfortunately for you two, your catching up will have to wait another time. We’ve got a ball to prepare for,” Clarisse says, gently taking Dan by the arm and leading the way out of the wardrobe.

“But,” Dan whines as he allows his grandma to pull him away, looking back at the wardrobe.

“No whining, Daniel. You can look at all the lovely clothes, later. We’ve got more important matters to deal with!”

“Oh, so you let your grandmother call you by your full name but throw a full-on hissy fit when I do?” Louise asks as she walks beside Dan, glaring at him.

“To be fair, my grandmother is also the queen, so she can do whatever she damn well pleases,” Dan says.

“That’s right, and don’t you forget it,” Clarisse says, looking over at Dan and winking at him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by Christy (rainbowchristy).
> 
> A/N: Hey guys! How are you? I hope you enjoyed the previous chapter from Tori!! We’re both super happy with it and the rest of the story. I won’t chat for long, just wanted to say hi and that I hope you’re liking the story so far! - Christy
> 
> TW: Alcohol, references to homophobia.

Dan settles into palace life surprisingly quickly. It’s weird to have people waiting on him hand and foot, but he decides to enjoy himself a little. Once he’s king, he’ll have much more work to do and won’t have time to wander the palace grounds and look at all the pretty flowers.

“Olivia,” Dan calls into his room and two seconds later there is a maid in front of him. She’s small and young, with blonde hair and green eyes.

“Yes, Prince Daniel?” she asks after curtsying.

Dan laughs. “I could’ve sworn I’ve told you to stop curtsying.”

She looks panicked for a second before curtsying again. “Am I not doing it properly, Prince Daniel?”

At that moment, Amelia comes into the room too, stopping to curtsy before turning to Olivia and loudly whispering, “What does he want?”

Olivia whispers back, just as loud, “I’m curtsying wrong. Can you show me how to do it properly? You’re so good at these things.”

“Of course. Follow my lead,” she answers before pinching her clothes again and curtsying towards Dan.

“That’s what I did and it’s wrong!” Olivia informs. The ladies seem to have forgotten Dan’s even there as they discuss between each other, getting more and more panicked. “Prince Daniel, would you be so kind as to show us how to curtsy?”

Dan laughs uneasily. “Uh, I’ve never been taught. I’m a guy,” he informs, gesturing to himself as if to solidify his point.

“Oh my goodness, I just implied our prince was a girl! I’ll be beheaded!” Olivia cries, turning to Amelia yet again in a panic.

“We must curtsy properly and hope he will forgive us!”

They both begin curtsying at a ridiculously fast pace, causing Dan to stand up to try and calm them. “Ladies,” he tries but they don’t acknowledge his existence, they just keep curtsying.

At this point, Dan’s not sure what to do. These ladies are clearly new to the whole maid thing, just as Dan is to being a prince. “Ladies!” he shouts, causing them both to freeze, Amelia at the low point of a curtsy. She starts to wobble and Dan steps forward to help her gain her balance before standing her up again.

“In my presence, I do not wish to see either of you curtsy. Do you understand?” He crosses his arms and raises an eyebrow, rocking on his feet as he does so. All he wants was a sandwich and this happens.

“Yes, Prince Daniel,” they say at the exact same time.

“Good. Now that that is dealt with, would one of you inform the kitchen I’d like a sandwich?” he requests.

“Yes, Prince Daniel, right away,” they say in sync again and Dan spares a second to be simultaneously impressed and scared.

“Along with the curtsying, you do not need to address me as Prince with every sentence.” After a second, Dan continues, “You’re dismissed.”

“Thank you, your highness,” they say before quickly walking from the room.

Dan laughs, realising they’d now call him ‘his highness’ instead of Prince, which is no better. Dan thinks it may actually be _worse_.

“Daniel? Are you in here?” Clarisse calls into his chambers, causing Dan to peek his head over the back of the large sofa.

“Yes, Grandma,” he answers, smiling when she catches his eye.

“My goodness, why are you not prepared for the ball?” she demands, causing Dan to blush a little.

“The tailors never arrived and I didn’t realise the time.”

His grandma sighs and claps her hands twice, causing three people to come rushing into the room as if it were straight out of a movie.

“Would you please find the royal tailors as well as Paolo and his assistants before they leave the palace? Thank you,” Queen Clarisse requests. The maids all nod, curtsy or bow, and rush back out of the room.

“Sometimes it seems like we have to do everything ourselves, huh?” she laughs before patting Dan on his shoulder. “Go choose what you’d like to wear, Paolo will make sure your hair is perfect and the tailors can make any last-minute adjustments on your clothes.”

Dan turns to leave as Clarisse takes a seat on the sofa, interlocking her fingers after she does so.

In his wardrobe, Dan’s overwhelmed by the choices. He wants to make a good impression, this is his first public event as Genovia’s crown prince. He takes a white shirt from the racks and observes it. It’s completely crease-free which would be impressive if Dan wasn’t used to it already.

It’s odd how quickly he adjusted to palace life. He’s only been there a week and he’s already so used to having perfectly ironed clothes and trays of food delivered to him at the wave of a hand. He sighs, placing the shirt back on the rack and continuing to look.

He picks out a blue collared shirt so pale it may as well be white. After changing his shirt, he chucks the old one in the laundry basket. It’d only been worn for a few hours, but it’s not like he had to do the laundry anymore.

He picks out some black dress pants and pulls them onto his long legs too. That was another thing that had changed with becoming crown prince. His store-bought pants had never fit him, but the royal tailors had hand-made his entire wardrobe and it all fit perfectly. Despite that, they still check every single outfit if he’s wearing it for a formal event, such as his birthday ball.

After pulling on his fancy matte-black dress shoes, he reaches for his navy tie. Last but certainly not least, he opens the ‘crown cabinet’, as he’s been calling it, and looks at his options. There was the gold one with feather-like spikes and large diamonds between the spikes. Or there was the simpler one with fleurs-de-lis making up the crown and rubies scattered around it. His favourite was a silver crown with smooth black diamonds cut into small hexagons.

Upon thinking about it, Dan chooses his favourite crown. Silver is a colder colour than gold and his outfit is made of cold colours. The black diamonds match his dress shoes too, since they’re both shiny.

After placing it on his head, he checks himself in the mirror for any issues. The tailors would adjust everything if need be but he’s happy with it for now.

“You look wonderful,” Clarisse says when he comes out of the wardrobe.

“Thank you, Grandma.” At that moment, Paolo and his two matching assistants come rushing into the room. Dan remembers how odd he used to think the lack of knocking was. The room is essentially his bedroom, after all. But it’s also not like he has anything to hide, and his bedroom and bathroom both have extra doors to get to them (and people thankfully knock on those).

“Ah, look at you!” Paolo greets, grinning. “Queen Clarisse, wonderful to see you again,” he says.

She laughs. “You were with me not twenty minutes ago, Paolo. No need to greet me again so formally.”

“Prince Daniel, you look wonderful. Let’s see what needs to be done,” he says, leading Dan over to the stool his assistants had brought with them.

Dan follows Paolo’s silent request and he removes Dan’s crown, handing it delicately to his assistant for her to place elsewhere. “Hm, your ends are a little frayed and these curls are very tight. When was the last time you brushed your hair, Prince?” he informs, talking more to himself and his assistants than to Dan.

“I brush my hair every day, Paolo! It’s just the humidity of Genovia makes me a little sweaty sometimes,” he explains, noticing his grandma’s disapproving look too late.

“Royals do not sweat, Daniel, they perspire. And you’re well aware we have air conditioning in every room of the palace. If it is too warm or cool, inform your maids and they will gladly change the settings,” she says before turning to Paolo. “Do whatever you think is best, we trust you.” The man nods, which Dan sees through the mirror in front of him, before setting to work.

Tools are being called for at an alarming rate and Dan sees chunks of his hair hit the ground, which would worry him. but he knew Paolo was an expert stylist. Dan’s last makeover had been back in his hometown.

He’d found out he was to be king less than a week before Paolo had taken scissors and combs to his hair. Paolo had said it was the best work he’d done and Dan didn’t know if that was a compliment to how he looked after the makeover, or an insult to how he’d looked before it.

“Magnifique,” he informs, placing the comb into his assistant’s hand. He spins Dan’s chair around and grins at his work.

“Queen Clarisse, your grandson,” he says, stepping aside and gesturing behind him.

She smiles and nods. “Wonderful job, Paolo. Thank you.”

He nods his thanks and then turns to his assistants. “Pack up now, we are finished here.” Not even five minutes later Paolo is saying goodbye and the three of them are leaving.

Dan adjusts the crown on his head after Paolo leaves as it was sitting slightly wrong and felt weird on his head. “After the ball begins, I will be introduced and you after me as it is your ball. Have fun, please, but also don’t make a fool of yourself. And remember, no alcoholic beverages. You may be of age in England but here in Genovia you are not.”

“Geez, grandma, I hadn’t even planned to. But now that you’ve said that I might have to sneak a few glasses here and there,” he shrugged, grinning at her half-exaggerated horror.

“I do not want to see my grandson and the future king of Genovia intoxicated at his first ball,” she insists, raising a finger to point at Dan threateningly. “Do I make myself clear?”

Dan brings his hand up to his head and salutes. “Yes, Ma’am.”

After a little more conversation, Queen Clarisse excuses herself to check how the ballroom is looking. Dan takes the opportunity to find Louise, who has a guest room (the size of Dan’s old house) a five-minute walk from Dan’s chambers.

Dan knocks on her door and hears a “come in” from the other side. He pushes open the door to see Louise in a gorgeous peach-coloured gown. It’s long-sleeve and has lace across the chest. Her hair is styled perfectly and she looks incredible.

“Dan, you look great!” she says, smiling wide at him.

“You’re stunning!” he answers, gesturing to her outfit. “That dress is amazing. You need to send a picture to Matt, he’ll freak.”

She laughs sweetly, twirling and causing the dress to fly outward around her. “The tailors in Genovia are very talented, that’s for sure.”

“I don’t think it’s Genovian talent that makes you beautiful,” he informs, bowing in front of her and holding out his hand. They aren’t dates to the ball but they can at least walk there together.

“Careful Dan, wouldn’t want you to fall for a taken woman like myself.” Dan fake throws up at that and she laughs.

“Are you ready?” he asks, to which she nods in reply. She wraps her hand around his forearm and Dan leads them out of the room.

Once they arrive near the ballroom, Dan kisses her on the cheek and says, “I’ll come find you soon. Try not to trip over or anything.”

She swats his arm for that before giggling. She’d tripped over three times in the short ten-minute walk across the castle and even if she insists it was the uneven floors, Dan knows it’s really the heels she’s not used to.

“I’ll try not to, Prince Daniel,” she says before curtsying and rushing off, catching her balance against the wall as she almost falls again.

Dan rolls his eyes fondly before heading in the other direction to find his grandma. “Daniel, come,” she says once she spots him. Dan goes to stand near her. “Remember, this is a royal event. I understand this will be very different from any other party you’ve been to but please do try not to stand on any lady’s feet. You are a gentleman and the future king, after all. A poor first impression is not easy to undo, I’m afraid.”

Dan chuckles. “Right, so no pressure then.”

She smiles and pats his cheek lightly. “You’ll do great, Daniel. I’m just a little worried about you. Palace life is quite different from what you are used to back in England.”

“I know, Grandma. But I’m sure I’ll be fine. What’s the worst that can happen?”

Suddenly the chatter inside the ballroom halts and a loud booming voice. “Presenting her royal highness, Queen Clarrise of Genovia,” the voice says. Dan realises this is the moment he’s been dreading and he feels butterflies in his stomach.

Clarisse walks through the doors and into the ballroom where people await.

“Welcome, friends. I am delighted for you to join us this evening in celebrating my grandson’s twentieth birthday. Please, raise your glasses in toast of your crown prince.”

The master of ceremonies speaks up again. “Presenting his royal highness, Prince Daniel of Genovia.” The doors open a second time and Dan walks forward onto the little balcony his grandma was on just moments ago. He smiles, nodding to some of his guests as he makes his way down the stairs and over to his grandma.

The party continues when he reaches the bottom of the stairs, thankfully. All the eyes on him were making him uncomfortable. It felt almost as if he was going to trip simply _because_ so many people were watching him.

“How did I do?” he asks, lifting his arm to rub at his neck out of habit before catching himself and lowering his arm again.

“You did splendidly, Daniel. Now, go celebrate your birthday.”

He tries, he really does, but it’s difficult to enjoy a ball when he knows two people, one of whom is the host. He doesn’t mind, he knows he will need to make some Genovian friends, it’s just a little odd having to introduce himself over and over at a party that’s celebrating _his_ birthday.

As Dan makes his way around the room, he notices two men slow dancing together. He first thinks how cute it is before immediately realising that it’s two _men_ dancing. Who knew Genovia was so forward-thinking? They seem comfortable and sure enough, not a single other person paid any mind to the two men dancing. It makes Dan smile, the idea that these two men feel comfortable expressing their love for each other in a public place.

Dan sighs, picking up a mini sandwich from the waitress walking by him. He spots a man in the back, seemingly unsure what to do, and heads over to him.

“Hello,” he greets. “Enjoying the party?”

The man looks surprised for a second before collecting himself. “Prince Daniel, happy birthday. Yes, it is lovely. My name’s Phil, by the way.”

“Please, call me Dan, no one else does.” The man, who Dan now knows as Phil, looks confused for a second before chuckling.

“Most people want their titles but it seems you do not,” he observes. “I imagine it must be strange to have a birthday party with mostly strangers?”

Dan laughs as well. “Yes, indeed. I’m enjoying myself though. I will need some Genovian friends when I become king.” Phil collects two glasses of champagne from the waiter who offers it to them and tries to hand one to Dan.

“Oh, uh, thank you, but I’m afraid I can’t,” he says, remembering his grandma’s words. She would not be happy if she found out, and while he was her grandson, she could be very scary when she wanted to be.

“Go on. I won’t tell anyone.” And Dan would have said no but this Phil character was already sipping at his drink and it’d be rude to refuse his offer.

“One glass, that’s it,” Dan warns, taking a sip when Phil hands it over. His arm, the one not attached to his drink, is suddenly tugged and he’s being dragged away from a confused Phil.

“Daniel, I saw that!” Louise, the one who had dragged him away, says with a scolding look.

Dan places his drink down and sighed. “Saw what, Lou?”

“Oh my god, I swear you’re so oblivious sometimes. Imagine if I got you the champagne instead, what would you think?”

“That you’re a nice friend and also that I’m still underage?” he answers, eyebrows raised as if what he said was obvious.

“Jesus, Dan,” Louise sighs. Dan just looks at her, confused, before she practically face-palms. “He was flirting with you. He wants to _dance_ with you!” she informs, causing a blush to rise on Dan’s cheeks.

“No, he wasn’t! We just met! Besides, I went over to him.”

“And why did you do that?” she prompts. Dan thought about it and realised it’s because Phil had been looking at him when Dan spotted him. How she knows that he isn’t sure.

He grumbled out a “fine” before pinching his eyes shut. “What am I meant to do with that information?” he asked, peeking open one eye to catch her reaction.

“You are so thick. How have you even survived this long?” she says mostly to herself. “Go over and ask him to dance, doofus!”

“I could have you arrested for insulting the future king,” he says, to which she snorts.

“Like you’d do that, you love me too much to have me beheaded or whatever.”

“I don’t think Genovian law allows beheadings anymore, a shame really,” he says in reply, laughing. Louise is easy to get along with, something he loves about her. One thing he doesn’t love is her pushing him away to ask Phil to dance.

He does go back to the man though, mainly because Louise would never let him live it down if he didn’t.

“Sorry about that, Lou needed to speak with me urgently,” he informs Phil as he arrives. He left his champagne behind and Phil had finished his glass now.

“Can I inquire what of?”

Dan looks shocked for a second before composing himself. “You may not,” he decides. “However, you may dance with me. Eh, if you want to,” he stops himself from rambling, laughing awkwardly.

Phil though, instead of running off to find a lady to dance with, smiles.

“I’d love that,” he says.

He holds his hand out for Dan to take and they move away from the wall and into the centre of the room where people are dancing. Phil takes Dan’s hand and places it on his shoulder and holds Dan’s other hand, beginning to lead their dance.

Dan’s a little disoriented at first, he’d learnt to lead his dance partner, not the other way around. He picks it up quickly, though. It’s practically the same as leading, except the exact opposite. When Phil steps forward, Dan steps back, simple as that.

Dan stands on Phil’s feet a few times which makes the man laugh. He doesn’t seem mad that Dan doesn’t know how to dance the woman’s role. Overall, the dancing is a load of fun and Dan catches sight of Louise a few times. She’s standing off to the side talking to another lady and laughing. She has a glass of punch and when she catches Dan’s eye, she raises her glass and winks, making Dan blush all over again.

Dan dances with a few other people throughout the night. The ladies are easier to dance with compared to Phil, even though the feel of them pressing against him makes him feel sick. It isn’t that the ladies are repulsive or anything, it’s just having them forcefully push their boobs against his chest as they dance makes him feel very uncomfortable. His grandma could be watching. Or, somehow worse, Lou’s eyes could be following him.

During a break from dancing, Phil finds his way over to him again. “How’s the dancing going?” he asks.

“Honestly, it’s a miracle I’m not in the hospital. Sorry about standing on your feet so many times, by the way. I’m not used to following.”

Phil smiles kindly. “It’s no trouble, it’s actually kind of cute.”

Dan blushes at his words. “I don’t think causing the human equivalent of a head-on car crash is cute but you do you,” he answers.

After that, he excuses himself to get a glass of punch. He’s pulled away by another too-curvy lady before he gets to the serving table.

By the end of the night, Dan’s exhausted and crashing onto his bed. There’s a knock at his door and he calls out for them to come in.

“Hello, Daniel,” Clarisse greets, taking a seat on the ottoman at the end of his bed. “Did you have fun?”

Dan sits up properly as she speaks. “Yeah, it was great,” he answers, smiling.

“I’m glad. I noticed that boy you were dancing with,” she states and Dan swallows hard, wondering if he’s about to be told off for dancing with a boy. Maybe it’s acceptable for non-royals but he has to marry a woman so they can have a future Genovian heir.

Dan swallows around the lump in his throat. “What are Genovia’s laws on homosexuality?”

Clarisse looks shocked for a split second before she rearranges herself. “Don’t fret, Daniel. You’re more than allowed to dance with him. There are no laws against homosexuality or anything of the like. Some of the higher-ups are less accepting but there is certainly nothing stopping you from marrying a man in the future.”

Dan sighed in relief. “That’s good. I don’t know if I could rule a homophobic country.” Clarisse chuckles. “Um, anyway, what about him?”

“I was just curious what you saw in him that made you dance together for so long.”

Dan’s cheeks heat up. “I don’t know. I mean, I’m not even gay so I don’t know. He was just fun, I guess. He was the only one who didn’t push themself onto me, too, which was nice.”

Clarisse’s face forms into one of horror. “I hope the dukes and duchesses didn’t do that! Not only are most of them married but they’re also your mother’s age. It would be highly inappropriate for them to attempt a relationship with you.”

“Ew, Grandma, no. I meant, like, all the ladies my age that were there. They all wanted my attention. Phil didn’t, so I talked to him.”

“Did Louise want your attention?” she asks, hinting at the possibility of them being an item.

Dan fake threw up. “Grandma, she’s my best friend and nothing more than that. Besides, she has a boyfriend who she loves and who loves her.”

She smiles and says, “I’m glad. She’s a sweet girl, she deserves someone who sees that.”

“And she does.” After a brief silence, Dan clears his throat. “Anyway, I’m really tired, Grandma, so if you have nothing else to talk about, I’d like to get some sleep,” he says, pausing to yawn halfway through.

“Of course. Sleep well, Daniel. Tomorrow is another big day,” she informs, stepping beside his bed to pat his knee before leaving the room.

“Night, Grandma!” Dan calls out after her.

After she leaves, Dan closes his eyes and falls asleep quickly. Coincidently, he dreams of champagne and a certain man with blue eyes and black hair.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by dxnhowell.

Dan is woken up the next morning by the bright sun hitting against his face. He groans as he stretches his legs and arms. He curls into his blanket, desperately not wanting to get out of bed yet. It’s _too early_.

But, he knows he’ll have to get up eventually. He can only imagine how busy the day will be, considering how busy the other days have been since he’s arrived in Genovia. He’s not even the official king yet, and his schedule has been extremely busy. Dan’s not sure he’ll ever get used to this schedule.

Dan pushes the covers off of himself, and swings his legs over the edge of the bed. He looks up, and stares out the window for a moment, taking in how beautiful the view of Genovia really is. That’s a view he could get used to seeing everyday. Definitely very different from the view he had back in his old home.

Dan finally gets himself out of bed. He changes into a fresh pair of jeans and a casual white shirt that he finds in his closet. He has no idea how he should dress in Genovia, so he thinks he’ll play it safe for now.

“Hello, ladies,” Dan says, greeting Amelia and Olivia when he spots the two maids outside of his room, chatting amongst each other quietly. He’s not surprised to see them awake and ready to work so early.

The maids stop what they’re doing to give Dan their full attention. “Good morning, Prince Daniel!”

“Yes, good morning. Is there anything we can get for you, Prince Daniel?” Olivia asks, placing her hands behind her back respectfully as she faces Dan, which makes Dan smile.

“No, thank you. Just saying good morning. Think I’ll go have breakfast, and find my grandma. I’m sure she’s somewhere around here,” Dan says, flashing them both a smile and then quickly leaving before the conversation lasts any longer. As nice as Amelia and Olivia are, Dan finds that they can be quite _chatty_.

The first thing Dan does is go down to the kitchen to find himself some breakfast.

“Breakfast is already prepared, Prince Daniel,” the head chef informs Dan once he arrives.

“Wow, really? That was… quick. I haven’t even told you what I wanted for breakfast yet?” Dan replies, blinking a few times, placing himself on one of the stools at the kitchen island.

“The Queen wants us to prepare a variety of breakfast items for you,” the head chef explains as some of the other kitchen cooks place a couple different plates in front of Dan, full of a variety of breakfast foods.

“Wow,” Dan chuckles nervously as he looks around at the breakfast. After the way he had been eating back home, it hadn’t occurred to Dan of all the breakfast foods he should have been eating. “You didn’t have to do this. Honestly, I would have been happy with just a bowl of cereal or something.”

The chef tsks, shaking his head. “Well, that just won’t do for the future king of Genovia. Enjoy breakfast, and please let us know if there’s anything else you would like. We’re always ready to serve you.”

“Thank you,” Dan says, watching as the chef gets back to work. He looks over when a cook places a glass of orange juice in front of him. “Ah, thank you, Sir.” He grabs the orange juice and takes a small drink.

This is something Dan is definitely not used to. Back home, his family was quite poor and couldn’t afford to buy groceries every week. It was rare when Dan got a full breakfast. Dan would just be grateful to have a breakfast bar before school. Now, he’s in Genovia where he gets more than enough food.

After breakfast, Dan finds himself exploring the castle. His grandma is apparently busy at the moment, so he has a bit of time to himself before getting back to more training with his grandma.

Luckily, Dan avoids running into the maids again, before taking off and starting his exploration around the castle. He’s been so busy ever since he arrived in Genovia, that he really hasn’t gotten the chance to truly take in how amazing this castle is. It’s his new home, after all.

Dan wanders around by himself for about twenty minutes before he turns and finds himself going into a little room, when he finds himself near the bottom of the castle. There doesn’t seem to be much around this area, so Dan goes back around, but stops when he hears voices.

“What the-?” Dan whispers out loud. Then, he spots a little cover in the wall, and opens it. He glances around and sees a room full of men in white wigs, and his grandma as well. “Aha. So, this is where you’ve been hiding from me…” He shuts his mouth once he hears one of the men speaking.

“Another Genovian, as of January first this year, became eligible for the throne, on the occasion of his twenty first birthday,” the man speaks as he paces back and forth,

“What?” Dan hisses, rather loudly, before slapping a hand over his mouth to keep himself from shouting anything else. He’s pretty sure he’s not supposed to know this meeting is happening right now.

“I beg your pardon?” Clarissa responds, slowly standing from her chair.

“My nephew,” Viscount continues confidently. “My nephew’s mother was my wife’s sister, and therefore, Your Majesty, I am pleased to say that my nephew is ready to take his place as Genovia’s rightful king.”

“Shut… up!” Clarisse replies, her facial expression showing just how shocked she is.

“But, isn’t Prince Daniel first in line for the throne?” another man in a wig pipes up.

“Not yet he isn’t,” one more responds immediately, looking over towards Clarisse. “The law states that Prince Daniel will have to marry before he can officially be crowned the king of Genovia.”

“We have _never_ enforced that law,” Clarisse defends, glaring at the man, and Dan has to hold in his breath as he watches the whole thing go down. There’s no way his grandmother is going to allow this to happen. “My grandson is going to be king, and that’s final. I mean honestly, this is simply ridiculous that we’re having this conversation in the first place!” Clarisse scoffs. 

“Yeah!” Dan shouts, throwing an arm up in outrage, and then gasping when the room goes silent.

“I am sorry Queen Clarisse, but Prince Daniel cannot take place as king until he is bound in matrimony,”

Clarisse frowns as she looks over at the man who has spoken. “Lord Palimore?”

Lord Palimore clears his throat to earn the room’s attention. “That has been the law of Genovia for the last three hundred years. Prince Daniel is currently not qualified to become King because he is unmarried,” he slowly stands as well, facing Clarisse. “I am sorry to say this Queen Clarisse, but I and many other Genovians feel that Prince Daniel is not… the most _fit_ choice to govern our wonderful nation.” This causes quite a reaction from Clarisse and the rest of the men in the room.

“Now, now, now. Calm down. I propose an idea,” Clarisse looks beside her, raising her eyebrows. “We will give Prince Daniel up to one year to prove himself worthy as king, and in that time, he must marry.”

“ _Ninety days_!”

“ _Two months_!”

“I object!” Viscount shouts angrily. “I object! This must be changed immediately!”

“Thirty days,” Lord Palimore says in a final tone, looking over at Clarisse. “Prince Daniel has thirty days to marry, otherwise he will be forced to give up the throne to Viscount’s nephew.”

Dan slams shut the flap, and immediately storms away, heading straight back to his bedroom.

Dan can’t stand there any longer and listen to these men, otherwise he’ll do something that he’ll regret. He’s sure his grandma will be able to find a way out of this mess. She always finds a way out.

It isn’t long before Clarisse finds Dan in his room, pacing angrily back and forth. Dan admits to her that he heard the conversation that happened in the meeting, although he apologizes for eavesdropping. He knows it’s not the right thing to do, but he couldn’t help himself. He was curious.

“Thirty days!” Dan shouts angrily, throwing his arms up, completely not knowing what to do with himself in the moment, when he's _so_ angry and frustrated. “This has to be some sort of sick joke. How can the Council expect me to fall in love in thirty days? I- I’ve never fallen in love before in my life.”

“No?” Clarisse asks, raising her eyebrows as she watches Dan pace. “I’m sure you have, dear. What about that one lady you always go on about? Jennifer… something?”

Dan instantly stops pacing, only to roll his eyes. “Jennifer _Lawrence_ , grandma,” he corrects her. “And, that doesn’t even count. She’s just a movie star. A silly celebrity crush. That’s not real love.”

“Well, excuse me. You just go on and on about her all the time,” Clarisse says.

Dan shakes his head and sighs with frustration. “This is just some big trick they’re trying to pull on us, isn’t it?” He asks, looking over at his grandma. “I mean, it’s like they’re trying to get me to agree to an arranged marriage, or something. Who in their right mind would ever agree to an arranged marriage?”

Clarisse clears her throat, and turns to look at one of the paintings on the wall, which happens to be herself and the previous king. Dan instantly feels foolish for saying such a thing.

“I- I mean, of course you did…” Dan says, his cheeks turning pink.

“I did, indeed, Daniel. If you ask me, I think it turned out quite wonderfully. Don’t you think so too?”

“Well, of course. But, I don’t want to be forced into a marriage. I dream of true love,” Dan argues, sighing. “Not that I expected to find true love any time soon. But _still_ , at least I’d be able to find true love on my own terms, and not because some old white men in wigs tell me that I have to.”

“Daniel, you don’t have to do this,” Clarisse says. “You do not have to become king.”

Dan’s eyes widen, because she’s right. Nobody is forcing Dan to become the next king. He can step down, and let someone else take the throne. 

Dan bites his lip as he continues to go over the options in his head, knowing he’ll have to make a decision sooner rather than later. He looks up at all the many different paintings on the wall, and sees the faces of his past family members that have been king and queen. Dan would hate to break the tradition.

“There’s over five hundred years of Renaldi’s on that wall,” Dan begins, before turning to face his grandma. “I will not break that tradition. I will be up there next to my father.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Clarisse says, smiling. “Your father would be very proud of you.”

Dan takes a deep breath. “I want to make him proud. Please help me, Grandma?”

“Of course I will help you,” Clarisse assures him, walking over to him. “We still have plenty of time, dear, and we will make sure that you are ready to be king before the time comes.”

Dan slowly nods. “I know… it’s just, thirty days?” He asks. “How am I gonna find someone in that time?”

“You leave that to me, Daniel,” Clarisse says, gently patting his back.

“Grandma,” Dan groans. “How many times do I have to ask you to call me Dan?”

“You can ask me as many times as you want, but I will still call you Daniel,” she replies, smiling.

Dan rolls his eyes. “Of course,” he mumbles, shaking his head.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, there are some people I have to talk to. After all, we only have thirty days to find your perfect match,” Clarisse tells him, before turning and walking away without saying another word.

“Thirty days?” Dan asks himself out loud, then scoffing in disbelief. “ _Thirty days_. That’s just ridiculous!” He heads out of the room. Dan has so much to tell Louise. She’s either going to be extremely excited, or disgusted that Dan has to be placed in an arranged marriage in order to become king.

All Dan knows is that the next thirty days are going to be extremely stressful and hard.

****

“I’m sure you’ll be fine,” Louise tells him, later on that evening, as she and Dan sit on the bed, along with Fat Louie, who seems to have grown rather fond of Louise. “Your grandma is a rather wise woman, Dan, she will be able to find your perfect match.” Dan has just finished telling her about the arranged marriage.

“I know,” Dan groans, falling back against the pillows. “But, come on. An arranged marriage? This is the twenty-first bloody century! I didn’t even know things like arranged marriages still existed.”

“Oh, I’m totally with you,” Louise says as she pets Fat Louie, glancing up at Dan. “It’s totally barbaric! Totally unfair that you have to marry in order to become king, and you have all the rights to be upset.”

“It’s not that I’m _upset_ ,” Dan says. “It’s more that I’m… frustrated. But, I’m… I’m determined. I’m not going to let this silly rule get in the way of me becoming king.”

“That’s right. No man is going to take your spot,” Louise says.

“Damn right!” Dan scoffs, gripping onto one of the pillows angrily. “I’ve worked bloody hard, despite what certain people around here may believe. I deserve to be the next king of Genovia.”

Louise smiles softly at Dan, seeing the determination in his eyes. “I know you’ve earned it, and I still believe that you are going to make a wonderful king to Genovia, no matter who your queen-” she pauses. “Or _king_ ,” she quickly adds. “Turns out to be.”

Dan laughs. “Thanks for that,” he says, and then his eyes widen when he realizes his sexual orientation will have to come up when it comes to finding his partner. Of course people like his mum and Louise are already aware that Dan identifies as bisexual, but Dan still gets nervous whenever it’s brought up in conversation. “Oh no. Do you think my grandma will be okay with-”

“Dan,” Louise warns. “You know very well your grandma will support whatever your sexual orientation is. She will make sure that you have options to choose from.”

“Of course,” Dan agrees, nodding. “But, what about the kingdom? What will _they_ think?”

Louise frowns. “It’s hard to tell,” she says, letting out a sigh. “I’ve met some lovely Genovian people who seem to be okay with all genders and sexualities, but that still doesn’t mean that everyone supports it. But, you also know that your grandma won’t let anything terrible happen to you, you know?”

“I know,” Dan sighs. “She’s very protective… that one.”

Louise giggles. “She is, and I think that’s something wonderful about her. It also helps that I don’t have to constantly worry about you being an idiot, knowing she’s looking after you.”

“Hey!” Dan pouts as Louise, crossing his arms against his chest. “You know very well out of the two of us, you are the one most likely to get in trouble! I’m the innocent one…”

Louise barks out a laugh. “You? Innocent? Ha!”

Dan rolls his eyes. “I don’t have to listen to this,” he says, before jumping up from the bed.

“Hey, where are you going?” Louise asks as she watches Dan walk over to the bedroom door.

“I’m hungry,” Dan tells her. “As future king, I need to stay perfectly healthy, after all.” He grins when Louise rolls her eyes at him. He loves nothing more than to annoy Louise. “Well? Are you coming?”

“Hold on,” Louise replies, before reaching over and grabbing Fat Louie, and standing up. She looks over and giggles when she sees the unamused expression on Dan’s face.

“Seriously? You’re bringing that thing with you?” Dan asks.

“Daniel James Howell,” Louise glares at Dan. “Fat Louie is a cat, not a thing. And yes, I’m bringing him. Cat’s need to eat too. Lord knows you aren’t going to feed him.”

“Honestly,” Dan mumbles, before leading the way out of the bedroom.

On their way down to the kitchen, Dan and Louise run into Dan’s grandma, who seems in a rush.

“Hey grams, what’s up?” Dan asks, earning a giggle from Louise.

Clarisse instantly shoots Dan a glare at the nickname, as she leads the way down to the lobby, before sighing softly. “Ignoring that. Listen, Daniel, Viscount and his nephew, Philip, are on their way to the castle as we speak. They’ll be staying with us, possibly until after the wedding,” she tells him.

“Excuse me?” Dan asks, looking just as shocked as Louise. “Is this some kind of sick joke, Grandma?”

“It is no joke. It’s a very serious matter,” Clarisse replies. She looks over Dan’s outfit, and bends down to straighten his clothes. “Good thing you’re already wearing something pleasant to greet our guests.”

“Well, if you excuse me,” Louise says awkwardly, laughing, before quickly slipping away from the scene.

“Thanks a lot, Lou!” Dan shouts after his best friend.

“Daniel, I need you to be focused,” Clarisse says, snapping her fingers at Dan.

“Grandma,” Dan snaps. “What is going on? Why are they coming to stay at our home?” He walks over to the mirror on the wall and checks his hair. “I bet this is the Council’s doing. I can’t believe they would allow someone who’s trying to steal the throne from me to stay in our home.”

“Actually, I invited them,” Clarisse admits, flashing a smile at Dan.

“Pardon?” Dan asks, blinking a few times as he looks over at his grandma. “You did what now?”

“I don’t trust either of them as far as I can throw them,” Clarisse explains to Dan as she places herself in one of the chairs in the lobby. “I know what’s going on here, and if there’s any mischief going on, then I want it to be right where I can see what’s happening.” She looks up at Dan thoughtfully.

“I mean, you didn’t even mention to me that they were coming to stay with us,” Dan complains.

“It was a last minute decision,” Clarisse informs him.

“I cannot promise that we’ll get along. I mean, this is the guy who is trying to steal the throne from me, Grandma. He’s probably rude, and arrogant, and self-centered, and-”

“You do not know that any of that is true. He might surprise you. He might turn out to be kind, and respectful, and sweet,” Clarisse says, earning an eye roll from Dan.

“Unlikely,” Dan scoffs. “How can someone who’s trying to steal the throne be _sweet_? That’s ridiculous.”

“Daniel,” Clarisse warns. “You are going to behave around our guests.”

“But Grandma, I just really don’t want to be nice to this guy,” Dan whines.

“You’ve never even met him before, Daniel, and neither have I. Under my orders, you will be kind and respectful to Viscount and Philip. We will present ourselves with much charm,” Clarisse warns.

“Announcing Viscount and Philip Lester,” the guard suddenly announces.

Dan groans and leans against one of the pillars, before standing straight, knowing that his grandma will yell at him if she sees him leaning like that while they’re greeting guests.

Two men walk in, and Dan instantly remembers the youngest from the ball. His eyes widen with shock once he realizes who he is. Philip Lester is the very Phil that he danced with at the ball. _This_ is the man who’s trying to steal the throne from him? It’s all starting to make sense now.

“Your highness,” Viscount greets as he and his nephew walk into the lobby.

“Viscount,” Clarisse replies. She allows Viscount to kiss her hand. “Wonderful to see you again.”

“You as well. May I introduce my nephew, Philip Lester,” Viscount introduces, gesturing to Phil. Dan avoids eye contact with him at all costs. He’s so angry, but he doesn’t want to say anything foolish.

“Philip, we are delighted to have you staying at our lovely home,” Clarisse greets.

“What a lovely home it is, indeed. Queen Clarisse, thank you so much for allowing me to stay,” Phil says, taking Clarisse’s hand and kissing it. “I feel most honored to be able to stay in your palace.”

Clarisse smiles at the boy’s manners, and then she turns to look over at Dan, and frowns when she sees Dan looking away, refusing eye contact with their guests. “Daniel?”

Dan doesn’t respond when his grandma says his name, only glances down at the floor.

“Daniel, would you like to greet our guests?” Clarisse asks.

Dan slowly looks up at Phil, and sees the man looking at him curiously. Dan takes a deep breath, before making his way over to him.

“Philip,” he greets, bitterness in his voice. He stares at him for a moment, and then he lifts his foot up and stomps harshly on Phil’s foot, and storms away.

Clarisse gasps with shock at Dan’s action. “Daniel!”

Phil groans as he starts to feel the pain in his foot. “He always seems to do that,” he comments, not forgetting how clumsy Dan had been during their dance at the ball. “Excuse me, your highness.” He turns, and allows one of the guards to help him walk.

“I- I am so sorry. My grandson, he is usually not like this,” Clarisse says to Viscount.

Viscount shakes his head. “That’s alright, Your Majesty. I’m sure it’s all just a misunderstanding,”

Clarisse clears her throat. “I will make sure to have a talk with Prince Daniel,” she says.

“Of course. I must go and see how my nephew is doing,” Viscount says before turning and walking away.

Clarisse closes her eyes, and lets out a breath, before going to find Dan. She has no idea what’s going on with her grandson, but she’s certainly going to find out, and have a word with him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by Christy (rainbowchristy).
> 
> A/N: The story’s kicking up a notch isn’t it?? I hope you're still enjoying it! - Christy
> 
> TW: Swearing.

Dan’s furious. And honestly, that may even be an understatement. He’s not mad at Phil, he’s mad at himself. Of course the kind man he danced with turned out to be the man trying to take his crown. Just his luck. Dan thinks about the night, if there were any clues as to who Phil really was, but there weren’t. He can’t blame himself, even if he wants to. He didn’t know any better. This is Phil’s fault for not being honest.

“Daniel!” Clarisse says, getting his attention. She sounds mad. Dan doesn’t blame her. “What on Earth caused that behaviour?”

Dan sighs. “I know him.”

“Of course. Everyone in the palace knows the Viscount.”

“No. Philip. He’s the guy I _danced_ with at the party.”

Clarisse’s eyes widen at the news. “Oh my,” she says.

“Yeah, _oh my_ is right. I can’t believe I danced with him. He was so nice but now I know it was only to butter me up. He obviously thought being on my good side would make taking the crown easier. Well, he’s got another thing coming. That crown is my birth right and I’m not giving that up.”

“Of course. Viscount is a sly man, he knows how to get what he wants. I do not know much about Philip, but if he is Viscount’s nephew, then I do not trust him either.”

“Why did you name him Viscount then?” Dan asks.

“I didn’t,” she says. “My husband, the king, was good friends with Viscount. I was never fond of him, but the king always has final say on these types of things.”

“That’s dumb.”

“That’s the law. You may change it when you become king. However, altering tradition is likely to make many noblemen unhappy.”

“Can I un-noble people?”

She smiles and chuckles. “I’m afraid not, Daniel. Unless a federal crime is committed, noble titles remain until death.”

“I can make that work.”

“Daniel,” she warns. “I do not wish to see assassins in this palace when you become king. Either for you or against you.”

“What if Lou’s an assassin?”

“Is she?”

“No,” he says forlornly. “That’d be cool though.”

“I fear we are getting a little off topic. Daniel, it is important to be polite to all guests whether you have a grievance with them.”

“Why? If I don’t like someone I’ll just kick them out.”

“Daniel,” she says, casticising. “You may be the future king, but relationships are still important. Viscount and I do not get along but he is still a nobleman with power and thus, must be treated with caution. You may not like it but that is the way things work in Genovia.”

Dan crosses his arms, glaring at the wall to his right. “Fine, whatever. I’ll play nice.”

“Thank you. It’s important you do. And do not say _whatever_ , it’s incredibly rude to dismiss another’s words.”

“Yep, I’ll add it to my list of infinite rules.”

She sighs, shaking her head. “Anywho, I must go check on Philip and make sure no permanent damage was done,” she says, teasing.

~~~~

“You did what?!” Louise demands, cuddling fat Louie to her chest.

“I stomped on his foot. He’s an asshole, I’m not going to be nice to an asshole.”

“Okay. First, I do not want to hear how friendly you are with assholes, Dan. That’s just, it’s too TMI for me to know.” Dan punches her lightly. “And second, how much damage did you do?”

Dan laughs. “I don’t think much. But I’m hoping his foot was already bruised from the accidental foot-stepping at the party.”

“Dan, you naughty, naughty boy,” she teases, laughing hard. “I can’t believe the future king is so- so… what’s the word? I’m having a mind-blank.”

“Kind and lovely?” Dan suggests, grinning.

“Oh! Petty! The future king is very petty.”

Dan shoves her, causing her to fall back on the bed they’re sat on and fat Louie to jump up onto the bedside table.

“Well, that was rude.”

“Grandma said that’s my strongest attribute,” Dan declares, puffing his chest and cheeks to look tougher. He holds the pose for three seconds before he bursts out laughing along with Louise.

There’s a knock at the door seconds later and Olivia walks in, head bowed. “Apologies, Prince Daniel. Queen Clarisse requests your presence urgently.”

Dan nods. “Okay, I’ll be there in a minute.” Olivia nods and quickly exits the room, closing the door behind her.

“What do you think I’ve done this time?” Dan asks, turning back to Louise.

She laughs. “What haven’t you done, Daniel?”

“Oy! You do not get to call me that!”

“Daniel,” she teases. Dan stands from the bed, about to leave, before turning and rushing for a pillow. He shoves it in her face, laughing as she sputters under the fabric.

“Serves you right!” Dan says before standing up and brushing himself off. “Now, I must go visit the Queen.”

“Ooh fancy!”

Dan rolls his eyes, ignoring her.

“Good luck!” she calls, still laughing as Dan opens the door. Dan sticks his finger up at her.

He arrives at the garden quickly, knowing she likes to sit out there to have afternoon tea.

“Hi grandma,” he says as he takes a seat across from her.

“Daniel,” she says in greeting. “Thank you for joining me.”

A few seconds later, there’s a waiter pouring Dan a cup of tea, which he thanks the man for. He takes a sip, looking at the garden. It’s pretty with hedges and statues. There’s a big fountain towards the centre. Rose Bushes and other flowers surround the pathway near it, creating a small hidden space.

“Daniel, as you know, to become king you must wed within a month.” She pauses, taking a sip of her tea. “I have selected a list of potential partners for you. They are all respectable persons who will do wonderfully by your side at the throne. I have Charlotte currently preparing the list into a slideshow for us to work through. I’m hoping we can do that this afternoon. Contacting whoever you choose is of urgent matter so the two of you have as long as possible to fall in love before the wedding.”

Dan’s finished his tea and the waiter comes to refill it seconds later. “Sounds like a plan,” he says, sighing.

“You must stop sighing, Daniel. It’s very rude and shows you are bored. Are you bored discussing your future?”

Dan looks at her, surprised at the reprimand. It was a subconscious action he never really noticed. “No, Grandma. I’m sorry. I’m just upset that we haven’t found a way around the law.”

She sighs herself then, setting her cup of tea down. “I know, Daniel. I will continue to work on it. But in the meantime, it’s important to find you a partner in case I can’t find a loophole.”

“I know, I know. It’s just- I don’t want to get married like three weeks after meeting them. It just seems strange.”

“I didn’t meet my husband until three days before our wedding. We’d talked through letters but we had not met in person.”

“Wasn’t that weird?”

“I suppose it was. At the time, we were both fulfilling our duties and thought nothing more of it. As time went on though, we fell in love. I’m sure you will be the same.”

“I hope so.”

“Would you like to go now and look through the options? I believe Charlotte should have finished the slideshow by now.”

“Sure, may as well.”

Clarisse nods, smiling lightly. She places the napkin on the table and stands, gesturing for Dan to follow her. Dan grabs a mini cake on the way, knowing how good they are. He shoves it into his mouth, smiling innocently when Clarisse turns to check he’s following.

“Can Lou be with us?” Dan asks as they walk.

“Of course.”

When they arrive at the room, Charlotte is there with the massive flatscreen fully set up. She hands Dan the remote and steps away.

“Charlotte, would you mind collecting Louise for us?”

“Of course. I’ll find a maid.”

Louise arrives ten minutes later and they settle on the couch in front of the screen. Clarisse is sitting at the table behind them. Charlotte flicks the lights off and stands quietly near the edge of the table, surrounded by pictures.

“Okay, first up we have Princess Larissa of South Puja. She’s nineteen and enjoys horse riding, archery and fencing. She’s a big fan of the outdoors,” Clarisse says. On the screen, there’s a young woman with red hair down to her shoulders. She has a lot of makeup on and is in a ballroom dress.

“I hate the outdoors,” Dan says, turning to look back at his grandma. “You know that.”

She nods. “I did. I thought you may agree with the opposite’s attract ideology.”

When Dan shakes her head, she presses a button and the screen changes. “This is Lady Anabelle and she, much like you, is new to the royal line. She is the first daughter of Lord Myers, the good friend of King Robin of Liamar. She recently turned eighteen and enjoys reading in the palace garden. She is second in line after King Robin’s daughter abdicated for a man in South America.”

“Maybe,” Dan says, blushing a little. It feels weird to look at people, learn so little about them and have to decide whether they would be a good match for him. It feels almost disrespectful. These women are humans with feelings and he feels like he’s objectifying them. He shakes himself from his thoughts and clears his throat. “She can go in the maybe pile.”

Charlotte nods and moves her picture into a new pile.

“Next up, Christopher Kendall, Lord of Nescio. He’s twenty-six and listed his hobbies as playing Mario Kart. I’m not sure what that is.”

Dan laughs at his grandma’s ignorance. “Mario Kart is only the best game in existence!” he says. Louise rolls her eyes at him but nods in agreement.

“A keeper then?” Clarisse asks.

“Definitely a strong contender for my heart.”

She smiles, and Charlotte sorts the picture.

“This is Princess Sophia, Queen Alice’s heir. Uniting our kingdoms would be a wonderful event. Sophia is fifteen and also enjoys horseback riding. She said she wants many children.” Clarisse pauses. “We didn’t ask whether they would like children or not.” She looks to Charlotte who shakes her head in conformation. “Anywho, thoughts, Daniel?”

“Way too young,” he says. “And she wants lots of kids? I’m sorry but I don’t even want to _think_ of children at this point.”

“Understood. Next, we have Count Michael of Genovia. He said he’s wanted to be king since he was a very young boy. He didn’t say anything else.”

“Another guy who wants my crown,” Dan says. “Definitely not. I have enough competition already.”

Louise laughs and pats his shoulder. “It’ll be okay, Dan. There are only twenty people who want your crown and are probably more qualified for the position than you are,” she teases. Dan swats her hand away, glaring.

They continue through the list relatively quickly after that. There are three people he’s put in the _good choice_ category: Christopher Kendall, Emma Lewis and Peter James Liguori.

He decides to sleep on it, which Clarisse says is a good idea as it’s a big decision. Louise excuses herself back to her room and Clarisse leaves after a short conversation with Dan.

~~~~

Two days later, Dan bursts into the throne room, mid-gathering. He hadn’t meant to, he didn’t know Clarisse was open for audiences at that moment.

“Oops,” he says, laughing awkwardly as everyone watches him.

“Daniel, come,” Clarisse says, guiding him forward with her hand.

He makes his way around the line of people and up to her side.

“How rude,” someone mutters. When Dan looks up, he sees Viscount. He can’t help but roll his eyes subtly.

“What do you need?” Clarisse asks.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt. I was just excited to tell you I’ve chosen who will be my fiancé.”

“Oh that is exciting, Daniel,” she says, smiling. “However, now may not be the best time”

Dan blushes. “Yeah, I didn’t realise you were audiencing.”

“It’s an important part of the week for anyone ruling a country.”

“I know,” Dan says. “I’ll, uh, come find you later?”

“Please do. I’m excited to hear about your choice. Maybe in a more appropriate setting though,” she teases.

Dan nods and excuses himself, waving politely at the Genovian people as he leaves.

“Well, how nice of you to visit,” Louise says as she closes the door behind Dan.

Dan frowns. “Where’s fat Louie?”

“I don’t know. Somewhere,” she says before pausing to think. “He’s probably in the kitchen.”

“Well then, I’ll be off,” he says, gesturing behind himself towards the door.

“You don’t even like fat Louie. Now, why are you here? Is Clarisse mad at you again? You can’t keep hiding out in my room when you're in trouble. I won’t be here forever and you’ll have to learn to face her. Besides, I’m pretty sure she knows this is where you go by now. She’s the queen, she isn’t stupid.”

Dan rolls his eyes, laughing at Louise’s ramble. “I’m not in trouble,” he says.

“Oh, good. What are you here for then?”

“Can I not just wish to visit my friend?”

“I’m not dumb Dan. You only come in here if you have news or you want to cuddle and watch a movie. And since it’s the morning, I can only assume you have news.”

Dan frowns. “I come in here for other things.”

“Well, why are you here now then?”

Dan looks away from Louise. “I have news.”

She laughs at that. “So you accuse me of making assumptions when I was right all along?”

“They’re still assumptions, even if they’re true.”

“I suppose,” she says, shrugging her shoulders. “Anyway, spill. What’s the news?”

Dan stands up tall, making himself look more professional. “I’ve decided who will rule the great country that is Genovia alongside perhaps the greatest leader of all time,” he says, pausing at the end to laugh. “He’s a modest crown prince too.”

Louise squeals, completely ignoring the latter half of Dan’s statement. “Ahh this is exciting! Who is it? Wait! Don’t tell me! I wanna guess!” she says in quick succession. “Come. Sit.”

Dan does as she says, taking a seat at the edge of the bed and turning to face her.

“Okay,” she says slowly, looking at Dan’s face intently.

She hums and humphs as she thinks. “You done?” Dan laughs, partially from discomfort from being stared at so seriously and for so long.

“Peter James,” she says, sitting back and proud of herself.

Dan gawks. “How did you do that?”

She grins, clearly happy she guessed correctly. “I know you, Daniel.”

“Don’t call me Daniel,” Dan mumbles, crossing his arms.

“I know you, _Danny-boy_. You’ve got a tell.”

Dan swats her for the nickname. “Future kings do not have tells, thus, I do not have a tell.”

Louise laughs. “Sure.”

Dan frowns at her lightheartedly.

“Fat Louie!” she suddenly says excitedly. Dan looks over to where she’s walking and sees the not-at-all-fat cat.

“Where have you been, you feral fur ball?” Dan asks.

The cat meows in reply and rubs its head into Louise’s arm when it’s picked up.

“You’d like fat Louie if you got to know him,” Louise says, rocking the cat lightly.

“He’s not a baby, Lou. And cats are basically demons that are trying to replicate the beauty that is a dog and failing. Hard.”

“You should have told Clarisse you liked dogs when you met her. Not that I’m complaining. Fat Louie is so soft. And he is definitely not a demon. He hasn’t tried to eat me once.”

Dan raises an eyebrow, standing from the bed. “Have you taken ownership of _my_ cat?”

“It’s not like you want him. Fat Louie deserves to be loved and you show him none of that.”

“I’m the future king! I’m a little busy to have a cat.”

“Clarisse didn’t seem to think so.”

“He’s still my cat.”

“I’ll call the RSPCA for cat neglect unless you give him to me,” Louise says, cuddling fat Louie to her chest protectively.

Dan laughs. “You can’t threaten a king. I have ultimate power.”

“You aren’t king yet, Daniel!”

“I said don’t call me that!”

“And I said fat Louie is _mine_!”

Dan rolls his eyes. “You don’t call me Daniel and you can have all the fat Louie’s you want.”

“There is only one true fat Louie, you should know that.”

Dan groans loudly. “I can’t win, can I?”

Louise grins. “Nope.”

Dan tells Clarisse of his decision at lunch. She’s equally excited as Dan and Louise, even if she’s more composed.

“I will have a letter sent right away,” she says.

“Thank you.”

~~~~

“Prince Daniel, it’s lovely to meet you,” Peter James says, bowing politely.

“And you too, Peter James. Please do call me Dan, though.”

Peter James nods. “Please, call me Pj.”

Dan nods in reply and Clarisse claps her hands, making them both jump.

“Right. Well, I’ll be on my way. You two should get to know each other. And Peter James, please do find a maid when you are ready to return to your new chambers. They’re set up for you with everything you should need. Don’t hesitate to find someone should you need something though.”

“Thank you, Queen Clarisse. Your hospitality is much appreciated.”

Clarisse nods and walks off, leaving Dan and Pj to do their own thing.

“So, uh, Dan,” Pj says, reaching up to scratch at the back of his neck.

“This is awkward, isn’t it?”

Pj laughs. “Maybe a little. I mean, we’ll be married in a month and we just met.”

“And you’re okay with that? I don’t get a choice if I want to be king but you don’t have to marry a stranger.”

Pj shrugs. “I know. But it’s my duty to my family.”

Dan gestures for them to walk and they head towards the garden. “Tell me more?” he asks politely. He’s making an effort not to sound rude or intrusive since this is the guy he’ll be spending his life with. He wants things to go as smoothly as possible.

“When I was young, my mother got very sick. I had to start helping our neighbors clean for some money to pay rent. It wasn’t enough but the landlady was very nice. I promised her I would pay her back for her kindness and I intend to keep that promise.”

Dan hums. “So you want to marry me for money,” he surmises, causing Pj to splutter.

“No, no. Not at all. I’ve mostly paid her back. I run a small business with a few stores around the country. I’ve entrusted it to my sister while I’m here.”

“While?”

“Well, I hope my future king will allow me to visit my family,” he says, chuckling and lightly bumping Dan’s shoulder.

Dan laughs too. “Of course. You’ll be king too, you realise. We’ll be kings together.”

“We will, but you would ultimately have final say since you aren’t marrying into the throne.”

“I suppose.”

There’s a lull in conversation when Dan trips over an uneven part of the pebble path. Thankfully, Pj catches him.

“Falling for me already, your majesty?” he teases. He helps Dan return to an upright position before removing his hands.

Dan chuckles, shaking his head. “So, what are your interests?”

Pj’s face morphs into mock-horror. “The worst possible question you can get asked. What am I supposed to say? I don’t just keep a list of my hobbies in my back pocket.”

“Wait, hobby lists aren’t normal?” Dan says, clearly joking. Pj laughs.

“I’m sorry, but no they aren’t. Seriously though, what am I meant to say? What would you say?”

Dan shrugs. “I guess that I’m not exactly used to acting royal, whatever that actually means.”

“You’re from Britain, aren’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, tell me about that. What’s it like there?”

“It’s not much different from Genovia, really. Except there I’m just a regular person and here I’m the future king.”

“That must have been jarring, having your life practically turned upside down,” Pj says.

“Yeah, definitely. It’s weird. A good weird, but still weird.” Dan pauses. “Where are you from?”

“I’ve never left Genovia. As I said, my mother got ill when I was young and we never had much money to start with. I guess I’ve never really seen travel as a part of my present or future life. I imagine holidays are nice.”

“We’ll go on one for our honeymoon,” Dan says. After a pause, he continues. “It’s so weird we’re getting married. Like, I still know nothing about you. It’s crazy.”

“We have a month to get to know each other before we tie the knot,” Pj says.

Dan smiles. “Yeah, I know. It’s just… I don’t know, I always imagined getting to fall in love slowly with someone and having an opportunity to get to know them before we were engaged.”

“I know what you mean. This isn’t exactly what I fantasised about as a child either.”

“You never said what your hobbies are,” Dan says. He takes a seat on the bench opposite the fountain and Pj follows his lead.

“I suppose I enjoy drawing. I love sketching, I always have. I’m a creative person, I guess. I like video games, though I don’t think I’ll play many of them once you’re crowned.”

“I love video games too,” Dan enthuses. “But I’m the least creative person you’ll ever meet. I can’t draw to save my life.”

“I could teach you?” Pj offers.

Dan laughs. “Good luck.”

They get to know each other better over the next few hours and Dan decides he really does like Pj. It’s nothing more than friendly at the moment but Dan can see himself falling in love with Pj, hopefully before the wedding.

“I’d love you to meet my best friend,” Dan says, leading Pj through the hallways towards Louise’s room.

“Of course. Does she live at the palace?”

Dan laughs, shaking his head. “She wishes. But no, she’s keeping me company while I settle into palace life. She’ll be leaving after I’m crowned.”

“Louise!” Dan shouts once he’s opened her door. He doesn’t bother knocking, knowing she’ll just be watching reality TV or something else trashy.

“In here!” she calls back and Dan follows her voice. He was right, she’s sitting in front of the large TV with a large bowl of popcorn and a teary bride on the paused screen. “Is this the famous Peter James?”

“Pj, please,” Pj says, bowing at Louise. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Louise.” He takes her hand and kisses it lightly, making Louise giggle.

“So formal,” she says. “Dan here just shouts for me when he wants something.”

“Yeah, but the difference is I’ve known you since before you could shit in a toilet.”

She laughs. “Back at you, Dan. And it took you longer, if your mother’s stories are correct.”

Dan blushes and splutters at that. “Okay, that’s enough embarrassing stories for today.”

“You started it.”

“And I’m finishing it,” he says.

“Aw, no fun. Pj, you should come over later and I can share all the embarrassing stories I have. Though I should save some for his twenty-first.”

“What happens at his twenty-first birthday?” Pj asks.

Dan laughs at him. “Sorry, but if you do not know birthday culture then we cannot get married.”

“I don’t understand,” Pj says, completely serious.

“Twenty-first birthdays are when friends and family share embarrassing stories of the birthday person,” Louise tells him.

“That doesn’t sound fun.”

Louise laughs. “It’s generally not for whoever’s birthday it is. But it’s a good laugh for everyone else.”

“I think I understand,” Pj says then. Louise nods in approval.

“I like you,” she says.

Dan shoves her. “Back off, he’s mine,” he says.

“Rude,” she teases in reply. “Is it official, then?”

“Not yet,” Dan says, looking to Pj for confirmation. “I suppose if all goes well over the next few days then we will formalise the engagement.”

“Sounds good to me,” Pj says.

“Good. Because as the future king, you have to do what I say.”

“You’re also my future husband.”

Dan pulls a face before seeing Pj’s confused and partially hurt one. “Not that it’d be bad to be your husband,” he’s quick to correct. “It’s just, like, _husband_ is a weird concept. I didn’t think I’d be getting married for a long while.”

“Me neither, and yet here we are.”

“Here we are,” Louise agrees, causing Dan to laugh.

“Anyway, I’m gonna show Pj to his room and then hit the sack.”

“Goodnight. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

As they’re on their way out, they find Fat Louie. Dan picks the cat up and it hisses unhappily. He holds it out for Pj to pat but he steps back.

“I’m allergic,” he says, already rubbing his nose.

“Wait here,” Dan says. Pj nods and Dan carries the cat through to where Louise is.

“Congratulations, you’ve won a free fail-dog demon.”

Louise squeals excitedly. “Yay! Oh Fat Louie, you’ll love life with me. I’ll give you all the treats.”

“He’s already fat enough,” Dan says.

“Do not fat shame my cat, Daniel,” she reprimands, taking the cat from Dan’s arm. Fat Louie licks her chin and Dan wonders what he did to make the cat hate him so much. “What changed your mind?”

“Pj’s allergic,” he answers. There’s a pause. “You realise I wasn’t actually serious about you having him, right? I don’t think grandma would like me giving away my house-warming gift.”

Louise pouts for a second before she smiles. “I’ll make you change your mind, don’t worry. And even if I don’t, I’m sure I can make space in my suitcase.”

Dan snorts. “Good luck smuggling a live cat into Britain, Lou. You’ll need it.”

“Oh shush you.” She swats Dan’s arm before putting fat Louie on the couch where he settles instantly. “Now, go find your _fiancé_ before he runs away as fast as he can.”

“I’m not that unlovable!” Dan insists, turning to leave anyway.

“Sure!” she teases as he leaves. “Love you!” she shouts.

“Love you too!” he shouts back. He turns to Pj. “Ready to go?”

“Yep! I am ready for a twenty-hour sleep.”

Dan laughs. “You know, we may be soulmates after all.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Let us know what you think in the comments or by messaging either of us (me: rainbowchristy, tori: dxnhowell) on tumblr!! - Christy


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by dxnhowell.
> 
> TW: Harrassment/bullying, homophobia, homophobic slurs.

“Just smile and wave, Daniel,” Clarisse instructs as she and Dan stand beside their carriage.

Dan frowns slightly as he glances around, eyeing the crowd that he has to earn respect from. These are the people that he is going to be ruling in just over a month. He wants them to like him, and be able to trust him as King.

It’s only been a few days since Dan met his future husband, and King, and Dan feels like he’s hardly had any time to himself. It’s not Pj’s fault, definitely not. Dan knows his life will be even more hectic once he officially takes the throne.

But, he just wishes that he could have a day to himself, to relax, and maybe even get to explore Genovia. Maybe Pj can show him around, and they can continue to get to know each other.

Now there’s a parade to celebrate Independence Day. This is a chance for Dan to show the people who he is, and prove to the naysayers that he is capable of being King.

“I just wish Pj could join us,” Dan mumbles, his cheeks turning slightly pink once he realizes he’s spoken out loud, because he hasn’t really spoken to his grandma about Pj.

“I know, but unfortunately, he cannot. You haven’t officially announced him as your future husband, and you wouldn’t want people to talk after seeing you with some stranger,” Clarisse explains. “You do not need bad press right before becoming King. And, look on the bright side, Pj is somewhere in the crowd watching you right now and I’m sure he’s proud to see you up here, just like I know the rest of us are.”

“I’m not sure everyone is pleased that I’m up here,” Dan grumbles, glancing over to where he sees Phil standing with his uncle. “They’re going to be watching me like a hawk.”

“Which is exactly why you must be on your best behavior today,” Clarisse warns, also glancing over at Phil and Viscount. “Show them how well you can be with your people.”

“I will, Grandma. No worries, I’ve got this,” Dan assures her. He glances around the crowd, and smiles when he spots Louise standing with some of the palace workers, and waves at her. “Pj might not be here, but at least Louise is nearby. She’s always got my back.”

“That’s what friends are for,” Clarisse smiles softly at him. “Alright, Daniel. The carriage is ready for us,” Clarisse thanks the guard when he opens the door for them.

“The horses are being taken care of, correct?” Dan asks as he steps into the carriage, placing himself on the seat.

“The horses are always being taken care of. They are loved, and cared for,” Clarisse says, looking over at Dan. “It’s a nice day, but we will put the show to a stop if we see that the horses are not doing well.”

Dan nods, pleased to know that the animals are cared for. Animal abuse is something he will not tolerate.

“We must not keep Genovia waiting,” Clarisse says once she’s also sitting in the carriage. “Let’s get this started.”

Dan takes a deep breath. It’s just a parade. All he has to do is smile and wave, just like his grandma told him. It’s not like there’s any pressure on him or anything.

The carriage starts moving, and they near the crowd.

“Relax, Daniel. You have nothing to be worried about,” Clarisse whispers before she starts waving to the crowd, looking like the true Queen that she is. Dan so hopes he can be as good a King as she is Queen. Dan has some big shoes to fill.

“I know. Thank you, Grandma,” Dan replies quietly. He turns to look at the crowd, and starts waving, just as his grandma taught him to. This is easy. There’s no way Dan can mess this up.

The parade continues to go on just as Dan expects it to. Dan waves to the crowd, and says hello to some people. During the parade, Dan spots a group of little kids. He notices some of the boys harshly shoving another little boy. He’s clearly being harassed, and nobody seems to be doing anything about it.

“Stop the carriage,” Dan says quickly, and the carriage immediately stops.

Clarisse blinks a few times, her waving coming to a stop, as she looks over at Dan curiously. “Daniel? What are you doing? We still have more of the parade left,”

“I’m sorry, Grandma. Give me a moment please. There’s something I need to take care of,” Dan mutters before opening the carriage and stepping down onto the pavement. He sees the crowd’s looks of confusion, but he ignores them as he only has one goal in mind. He takes a deep breath as he makes his way over to the group of bullies.

“I don’t know why you even bothered to come,” he hears one boy say. “Prince Daniel and the Queen will never notice a sad, nobody like you.”

“Exactly,” another boy speaks up. “Especially a fag like you.” The group of boys laugh.

Anger immediately boils up in Dan's body at the words spoken by the boy. How could anyone be so mean to someone else simply because of their sexuality. Dan’s unsure if this boy is actually gay, but even if he is, that is still absolutely no reason to bully someone.

Dan finally clears his throat. “Excuse me.”

The boys immediately turn around, and both gasp when they see Dan, and look stunned to see him.

“Prince Daniel!”

Dan gives the boy a stern look. “You owe that boy an apology. I saw the way you were shoving him, and that was not very nice. You wouldn’t want someone treating you like that, would you?”

“No, Prince Daniel,” both boys mutter.

Dan turns to look at the boy who was being harassed. “Hi there. What’s your name?”

“Jacob,” the boy replies shyly, and Dan just wants to pull the boy into a hug and tell him everything’s okay.

“Jacob? It’s very nice to meet you. My name is Dan,” Dan says, smiling softly at him, before turning to look at the other boys. “I think you owe Jacob an apology.” 

“We’re sorry, Jacob,” the boys mutter, avoiding eye contact. Even though Dan knows they probably don’t mean it, at least they said they were sorry, and Dan’s going to make sure Jacob won’t get harassed again.

“Good,” Dan says, nodding. “If I hear you bullying someone ever again, _especially_ for what you were bullying Jacob for, and yes, I did hear what you called him-” Dan gives them a look of disapproval as their eyes widen at that. “There will be serious consequences. Is that understood?” He smiles when they both nod their heads quickly in response. “Alright. That’s good. I’m glad we’re on the same pages. Now, I’ve got a parade to finish. Actually, Jacob, would you like to join me?” He holds his hand out to Jacob.

Jacob’s eyes widen even more as he looks up at Prince Daniel.

“It’s okay. I’ll be right by your side the entire time. You’ll be safe, and you’ll have fun,” Dan says. “In fact,” he looks around at all the children. “Why don’t you all walk with me in the parade? Everybody can have a crown today.” He looks at the vendor selling toy crowns, and smiles appreciatively at him when he starts handing out crowns and tiaras to all of the children. Dan looks back down at Jacob and holds onto his hand tightly, letting him know that he’ll be protected from the bullies. “That crown looks fabulous on you, Jacob. You would make a great King. Are you ready to walk with me?”

Dan looks over at Louise, and waves her over, knowing the children will need help.

Louise quickly rushes over to him. “That was brilliant, Dan,” she says.

“Thanks,” Dan grins at her. “Can you help with the children?”

“Absolutely,” Louise grins back at him, and then walks over to a group of children and gasps when she sees all the girls wearing tiaras. “Wow! Look at you all. Everybody looks like a princess.”

“The parade is resuming,” a guard announces, blowing the horn.

Dan looks down at Jacob again, and smiles reassuringly at him, hoping to calm the boy’s nerves, and starts showing Jacob how to wave to the crowd. “You’ve got it.”

Dan has no idea what his grandma is thinking right now, maybe she’s proud of him, or even impressed, or maybe she’s angry that Dan would do such a thing in the middle of such an important parade. Dan will take the heat later if he must, but he doesn’t regret rescuing this boy from getting harassed.

Dan doesn’t see his grandma again until after the parade is well finished. Dan wanted to make sure that the children were all taken care of, especially Jacob. Dan found out after the parade that the children were actually orphans, and that broke Dan’s heart. He wishes there was something _more_ he could do.

Dan’s just finished getting his pajamas on when he hears the sound of footsteps approaching in his room. Dan turns around to tell them to go away, because he’s exhausted, but instantly stops when he sees that it’s his grandma. Dan straightens himself up, and clears his throat. “H- Hi, Grandma,”

Clarisse frowns at Dan’s nervous behavior. “Don’t be so nervous, Daniel,”

Dan blinks a few times, confused. “You’re um, you’re not mad?”

“Now, why would I be mad?” Clarisse asks, crossing her arms.

“For the little stunt I pulled at the parade?” Dan offers, frowning at his grandma.

“Oh, Daniel. Don’t be silly. I’m not mad at all for what you did today in the parade. In fact, I couldn’t be more proud of you. That was the best thing you could’ve done. You had everyone talking after the parade, and they were mostly good things. Of course, _some people_ were not impressed by your act. Believe it or not, even Philip seemed to be impressed with you,” Clarisse informs him.

“Well, I uh, hate to break it to you, Grandma, but I wasn’t doing it to impress Phil,” Dan says, blushing at the news that people were talking about him, and for once, they were good things. Lately, it seems as if Dan has a hard time impressing the Genovian people. Despite this, he can’t help but be curious of what Phil thought of him during the parade. He wishes he could have seen the look on Phil’s face.

“I thought so, which is why I’m also proud of you for what you did,” Clarisse smiles. 

“That little boy was being harassed, and I wasn’t going to sit back and let them get away with it. The fact that they were bullying him for being gay made me so angry. They were calling him a f-” Dan stops himself, and takes a deep breath. He looks up at his grandma, and she’s looking at him with a soft expression. “Anyways, I was just doing what I thought was right.”

“That was indeed the right thing to do, Daniel,” Clarisse assures him. “Just imagine what he, and many other boys like him, will think once they see that Genovia’s future King is getting married to a boy.”

“Yeah, but there are going to be a lot of people who won’t be so happy,” Dan mumbles.

“Not to worry. Those people will be dealt with when the time comes,” Clarisse says, and Dan looks at her with raised eyebrows, but decides not to question what she means by that. “I know you’re tired, and I’m sure you will get a good night's sleep after such a busy day. I just wanted to come and tell you that I was very impressed by what you did in the parade today. I, and many other Genovians, are proud of you.”

“There is one Genovian that I can’t help but be curious about…?” Dan begins.

Clarisse chuckles. “Are you asking about Viscount?”

“You said Phil was impressed by what I did, and I can only imagine the look on Viscount’s face,” Dan says. “I seriously wish I could have seen what he looked like. _Pure gold_. Am I right?”

“Let’s just say… he looked less impressed than Philip,” Clarisse tells him.

“Excellent. That’s all I wanted to hear,” Dan grins, before plopping down onto his bed.

“Well, if that’ll be all, I will bid you a good night, Daniel. Good job today. 

“Thank you, grandma. If I made you proud, then today was a successful day,” Dan says.

“Oh. You always make me proud, Daniel. Now, get some sleep. Tomorrow will be another busy day,” Clarisse says, before turning, and gracefully walking out of the bedroom.

Dan sighs softly to himself, and gently falls down on his back, staring at the ceiling.

Today was good. This can only be a right step in becoming King of Genovia.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by Christy (rainbowchristy).
> 
> A/N: Prepare for some backstory in this chapter!! :D - Christy
> 
> TW: A little internalised homophobia, swearing.

_“I’m sorry,” Dan says. “Did you say ‘prince’?”_

_Dan’s grandma smiles and nods slightly. “I did indeed.”_

_“Shut. Up.”_

_“I beg your pardon?”_

_“Ma’am?” the man with Dan’s grandmother interrupts. “In Britain, ‘shut up’ is used as an exclamation of surprise. He is not actually requesting you stop talking.”_

_She hums. “Oh, I see.” She turns back to Dan. “I understand this may be shocking.”_

_“The understatement of the year,” Dan mumbles under his breath. He pauses. “How on Earth am I a_ prince _? My mum’s a waitress in little old Wokingham.”_

_“Your mother is not royal, that is true. Your father is the reason for your title. He and your mother met on a routine visit to Britain to visit Queen Elizabeth. He ignored his duty as a royal to spend time with her. We did not know she was pregnant until after we returned home. It was all very improper.”_

_“I don’t understand.”_

_“My son and your mother engaged in improper relations that resulted in your birth. As your father was a prince, you are also a prince.”_

_“But why am_ I _next in line and not him?”_

_Clarisse looks down and sighs lightly. “He passed away in a car crash six months ago.”_

_Dan’s eyes widen. “Oh my god,” he whispers._

_He looks down at his lap. He’s never really cared much for his father. He was just the man that contributed to his existence and ditched his mother without warning. Still, he never thought his father was dead. He’d always sort of hoped he’d return one day to meet Dan and the three of them would form a family. He knows now that his wish is impossible. He will never meet his father and will never get to know him._

_“I understand this is a lot to take in,” Clarisse says quietly, trying to comfort Dan. He’s too shocked to really think things through._

_“I really don’t think you do. I’m_ not _a prince. I’m just regular Dan Howell, an eighteenteen-year-old in England.”_

_“Yes. It may be the case that you were raised as Dan Howell. But the truth is, you are Daniel James Howell Ronaldi, Prince of Genovia. And I, Clarisse Ronaldi, am Queen,” she says, smiling._

_Dan shrugs his shoulders with a head shake. He raises her eyebrows at her. “So why now?” he asks. “What do you want from me?”_

_Clarisse sips her tea before gently patting her mouth with the napkin. “After your father’s death, Genovia is without an heir. I was married into royalty. You, however, have royal blood._ You _are Genovia’s rightful heir, now.”_

 _Dan slams his hand on the table, suddenly angry. “I am_ not _a prince!” he shouts._

_Clarisse jumps back slightly, surprised by his outburst._

_“Daniel-”_

_“No! I’m not going to listen to this- this_ bullshit _anymore!”_

_Dan stands from the table, causing the napkin on his lap to fall onto the grass._

_“Daniel-” Clarisse tries again as Dan storms off back into the house, backpack in hand._

~~~~

Dan blinks his eyes open, rubbing them to remove the sleep. He stretches and sits up, letting the thick blanket fall into his lap.

He yawns and covers his mouth despite being alone. “Ugh,” he says to himself. He really wants to lay back down and close his eyes but he has things to do. Things such as planning a wedding.

He reaches over to his bedside table and rings the bell sitting on it. There’s always maids around, he knows that.

Sure enough, Olivia comes rushing in ten seconds later. She brushes down her apron as she stops. “Yes, Prince Daniel?”

“Would you please go tell the kitchen to begin preparing my breakfast. I would like it delivered in a half hour.”

Olivia nods and says, “Yes, Prince. Right away,” before rushing out of the room.

Dan crawls to the edge of the bed - yes, it was that big - and plants his feet on the ground. He really wants a shower to wash the sleep off his body. It was always how he’d started his day back home and, while most mornings it seemed he was woken up by someone else, this morning he was left alone.

He hangs up his robe and turns the shower on, reaching out to feel the water. Once he’s happy with the temperature, he steps into the spray, closing the glass door behind him.

He washes his hair and scrubs his body with the fancy Genovian soap he was provided upon arrival just over a week ago now. It smells floral, which is great, but he also isn’t sure how good it is for his already fragile masculinity.

After he finishes washing up, he steps out of the shower and wraps a towel around his waist. He heads for the large vanity, filled with all the products he’d never even heard of before arriving at the palace. It wasn’t like his mother could afford to spend money on ridiculously-priced skin care.

First, he grabs the facial scrub and applies it before moving on to his other products. By the time he’s finished, he’s basically dry so he hangs up his towel and pulls on his robe.

He heads into the lounge, where he sees his breakfast waiting for him along with Olivia. She’s standing off to the side politely.

“Are you ready for breakfast, prince?” He nods and she goes about setting up the table. He heads for the other end of the room where the door is. There’s a small table to the side of it where any ‘mail’ is delivered. Most mornings he has a small slip outlining anything he has to do that day.

Today’s tasks include being fitted for his wedding suit, discussing cake choices with the head chef and, perhaps worst of all, telling Genovia about the wedding. Currently, most of his days are filled with wedding tasks. It makes sense, what with three weeks left to plan, prepare for and have the wedding.

 _It’s more intense than 90-day fiancé_ , Dan thinks, before laughing at his own thoughts.

“Breakfast is served,” Olivia says then, and Dan puts down the slip of paper to have his meal.

After breakfast, he heads for Louise’s room. He’s well aware he’ll need emotional support to get through the day. He’s terrified of how the kingdom will react. While most in the palace knows of the upcoming wedding - it’d be hard for them not to, really - no one in the kingdom has been told.

Dan’s not so sure the whole thing is a good idea. He’d chosen Pj because he seemed the most similar to Dan. And it’s not that he _wasn’t_ similar. It was just, maybe he was a little _too_ similar. Dan couldn’t help thinking perhaps the whole wedding thing would be easier if Pj wasn’t another man.

It’s odd, because he knows there’s nothing wrong with being gay. He’d been happy to see the two men dancing at his birthday ball. And he saved that boy in the parade from being harassed. So he’s well aware he isn’t a homophobe. But despite that, he can’t help thinking he should have chosen one of the women in the list Clarisse set up for him.

He justifies that it’s simply the fact that announcing a wedding to an entire kingdom is stressful on it’s own. Except for him, he’s announcing a wedding and announcing that he’s gay. Not that he is - gay that is. He’s not sure what he is, but he knows he’s not gay. He _can’t_ be gay.

“Daniel. What a wonderful surprise,” Louise says with a grin.

“Shut up. You know I need my emotional support human for today to go well.”

She laughs. “Is that an official title?”

Dan whines and stomps his foot like a pouty child.

“Oh, don’t be a baby,” she says, walking over to Dan and taking his hands to hold them out. “I hope you aren’t wearing that for the announcement,” she says, though it’s more of a question.

Dan scoffs. “Of course not. Only you get to see me in my jammies.”

“And anyone who saw you walk over here?”

“Okay, only you and palace staff.”

“And Pj?”

Dan scowls.

“Oh, right. Yeah. I forgot you won’t be needing pajamas when Pj’s sleeping in your bed. Your activities will keep you plenty warm.”

Dan blushes. “Lou! You can’t just say that!”

“Too late,” she says, shrugging her shoulders. “Where is Pj anyway?” she asks, thankfully changing the topic.

“Probably in his chambers.”

Louise hums.

“Oh! You will not _believe_ the dream I had! I was sitting with grandma and she was telling me I’m a prince. Everything was normal until I stormed off back into the house. It had been turned into this weird swimming pool maze, kinda thing. I had to swim in my school uniform, Lou! And I had no idea where I was going! I woke up before I escaped.”

Louise laughs at his story. “Maybe it symbolises the fact that you can’t escape your birthright.”

“Yeah, maybe. It was freaky though. And I gotta say, swimming in clothes is surprisingly difficult.”

“Yeah. I can imagine,” Louise says, still laughing.

~~~~

_“Mum!” Dan calls out into the small house. Had he been more clear headed, he wouldn’t have yelled. The house they live in is split with a lovely old couple on the lower floor, and him and his mother on the upper. It wasn’t tiny, but it was nowhere near as luxurious as the royal Genovian palace._

_“Yeah?”_

_“Why didn’t you tell me I’m a prince?” he demands once he’s in the kitchen and can see his mother. She’s washing dishes and one slips from her hand after he asks. Thankfully, it didn’t break. He’s not sure they could have afforded to replace it._

_See, Dan’s mother was an artist. It’s her “true calling,” as she likes to say. Dan’s not sure at what point a ‘true calling’ should be ignored so they can actually pay rent on time, but it’s not his place to raise his concerns. He’s just grateful to have her, especially since his dad had left._

_His dad. Who was apparently crown prince of Genovia._

_His mother sighs and turns around, pulling off the gloves and putting them on the bench behind her._

_“I thought I was doing the right thing,” she says._

_Dan scoffs. “The right thing for who, Mum? Because frankly I would have liked to know my father was a royal. Eighteen years, Mum! You shouldn’t spare one second in eighteen years to tell me?”_

_“It was complicated, Dan.”_

_“I don’t care how bloody complicated it was! I’m your son and I had a right to know who my father was!”_

_“Was?”_

_“Yeah, Mum. Was. That’s why grandma’s here. To tell me I’m the new crown fucking prince of Genovia.”_

_“Language, Daniel.”_

_“No, Mum! You don’t get to ‘language, Daniel’ me! I’m mad and I’m allowed to be mad!”_

_Dan grabbed an apple and ripped a chunk from it, ignoring the mild ache from the pull on his teeth._

_“Where are you going?” his mum asks after he turns towards the spiral stairs up to his room._

_“I’m going to sulk in the royal bedchambers,” he sneers, rolling his eyes at his own words._

_“Dan-” his mum starts before cutting herself off._

_Dan doesn’t spare a second to feel guilty as he climbs the stairs and opens the hatch at the top._

_An hour later, there’s a knock at Dan’s door and his mother’s head appears. He rolls over on his bed to face away from her but he hears her sigh loudly._

_“Dan, when you were born, Victor had already returned to Genovia. Having an illegitimate son would have made his life very complicated in Genovia. We both knew that, so we chose to keep it a secret. Your father and grandmother both agreed to keep their distance so you could have a chance at a normal childhood. We were going to tell you when you turned twenty. But when your father died, Dan, plans has to change.”_

_Dan rolls his eyes and scoffs loudly._

_His mother sighs again. “We wanted to protect you, Dan.”_

_“Well you know what? I don’t feel protected!” Dan sits up and climbs out of bed to pace. “Imagine spending your whole life thinking you’re one person, and then suddenly you’re being told you're the heir to an entire kingdom!”_

_She huffs out a breath. “Eat your soup,” she says, changing the topic to stop Dan from getting to worked up again._

_He checks his bedside table to see that she did, in fact, bring soup with her._

_“It’s your favorite.”_

_Dan looks down at his feet. “I’m not really hungry.”_

_His mum nods and walks over to Dan to pat his cheek. “Well, goodnight, Dan,” she says, opening the hatch to leave Dan’s room._

~~~~

“Daniel,” someone says.

Dan turns around quickly to face the person speaking and instantly scowls.

“What do you want?”

Phil smiles. “I just wanted to say I was impressed by your actions during the parade,” he says.

Dan’s caught off guard by that. While Clarisse had told him Phil was smiling, he’d half thought she was fibbing. Seriously, Philip Lester, the man trying to take his crown, was complimenting him. Um, what?

“I bet you couldn't care less about that boy.”

Phil tilts his head in confusion. Dan thinks it’s oddly endearing before he internally slaps himself for thinking so.

“I didn’t realise you cared about the kid. I thought it was staged for publicity.”

Dan scoffs loudly, offended. He crosses his arms and raises his eyebrow. “Well, it wasn’t. He was being harassed and I wasn’t about to stand by and watch it happen. Unlike you.”

“Who said I wouldn’t step in?”

Dan rolls his eyes. “You expect me to believe that you, the guy trying to steal the crown, actually cares whether that boy was being harassed or not?”

“Well I do. I was bullied, believe it or not. And it’s not fun.”

“I hate the word ‘bullied’. It’s dismissive.”

“What do you mean?”

“People don’t take bullying seriously. It’s seen as something children do and children aren’t taken seriously very often. If I were to say I was bullied, as a twenty-year-old adult, people wouldn't think much of it. If I said I was harassed, though, then people care. They mean the same thing. Except one is considered important and the other ‘builds character’. It’s absolutely ridiculous,” Dan says, uncrossing his arms so he could wave them around as he speaks. “What those kids were doing, was not bullying. It was harassment. And I’m not the kind of person to sit by and watch that happen.”

“Wow,” Phil says, shocked by Dan’s outburst. “I’ve never- I’ve never thought of it like that.”

Dan laughs awkwardly, suddenly aware of how ranty he’d gotten. Some topics just bring that side out of him and ‘bullying’ is one of those topics.

“Well, consider me impressed, Daniel.”

“I didn’t do it so you’d be impressed with me.”

Phil laughs. “Can’t you just accept the compliment? I think it was pretty cool of you to step in.”

Dan gapes a little, embarrassed. “I, er, thank you.”

Phil laughs again. “You’re welcome.”

Phil walks off after that. And Dan’s not really sure what to think of the conversation.

~~~~

_“Your highness, Daniel has arrived,” Charlotte says._

_Dan remembers when he first met her. She was this powerful woman, assistant to the_ Queen _. Not that he knew his grandma was the queen at that point. He’d just thought she was some rich old woman who’d gotten lucky. His views had changed pretty quickly._

_“Ah, Daniel, welcome,” Clarisse says, smiling at him. “It’s good to see you again.”_

_“Yeah, same,” Dan says._

_“To what do I owe this visit?”_

_“I want to do this whole being a royal thing. On a trial basis.”_

_Clarisse smiles despite looking slightly confused. “What do you mean by ‘on a trial basis’?”_

_“I want to learn how to be royal. I’m not going to commit to anything until I know what I’m getting myself into. If I choose not to be royal, no harm no foul. If I enjoy it, then I’ve already started training.”_

_“That’s very grown up of you, Daniel. A true king’s way of thinking about things.”_

_Dan shrugs, not really sure what he’s supposed to think about that comment._

_“Here is my proposal. Genovia’s independence day is approaching in three short weeks. I will teach you to be royal in the remaining time and at the ball, you can either accept or renounce your title.”_

_Dan thinks through the plan before nodding. “Yeah, that sounds good.”_

_“Excellent,” Clarisse says, clasping her hands together. “We can begin now. Charlotte, take notes please.”_

_Charlotte nods and Clarisse smiles._

_“Now, your posture is first. Spin please.”_

_Dan goes onto the ball of his right foot and does a quick and unellegant twirl._

_“Slowly.”_

_“Oh.” Dan spins again, this time much slower._

_“Carriage clearly needs working on. Hairstyle too. Complexion is good, only a few pimples.”_

_Dan blushes at that. It’s not like it’s his fault he has pimples. He’s a teenager, after all._

_“Stop!” Clarisse says as Dan completes his circle._

_She steps forward into Dan’s personal space and he feels mildly uncomfortable despite the woman being his grandma. He’s only met her twice before so she’s still practically a stranger._

_“Good, clear eyes. Just like his father’s.”_

_“Really?”_

_Clarisse nods and Dan smiles, thinking about it._

_“Though they’re hidden behind… is that eyeliner, Daniel?” she asks._

_“It’s called_ fashion _, Grandma.”_

_“Well, it’ll have to go. No king can wear eye makeup that heavy, it’s simply unacceptable. Now, your ears are a good shape, no changes there.”_

_“Changes?” Dan asks suddenly. “I’m sorry but I’m not, like, having any surgeries for something I’m not even certain about. Even if I was sure, I’m not gonna have ear surgery. Is that even a thing?” Dan says, starting to ramble._

_Clarisse places her hand on his shoulder to stop him._

_“I’m not talking about surgery. Many things can appear differently with a little, nonpermanent work.”_

_“Oh,” he says as he sighs. “Good.”_

_Dan lifts his hands to pull at a hangnail but Clarisse grabs his hand._

_“Oh my!” she says, staring right at his hand. “What is this?”_

_“Nailpolish,” Dan says shyly._

_“Well, it will have to go. From now on, I want clear nails.”_

_Dan nodded and took his hand back to bite the hangnail off._

_“As for your clothes,” she says next, trailing off as she thinks. “You will need formal dress shoes, those tattered school shoes will not do. And is that velcro? That certainly won’t do. Those pants have stains on them,” she says, pointing directly at his knee._

_“I trip a lot,” Dan says, shrugging._

_“I see. Well, your white collared shirt is acceptable. That tie, however, is atrocious. What on Earth was your school thinking when they designed your uniform. Do you have a nice jacket to go with this outfit?”_

_“Not other than my school one.”_

_Clarisse hums and turns to Charlotte. “We will need new shoes, dress pants, ties, and jackets. Will you order those please, Charlotte?”_

_“Of course. Is that everything, your majesty?”_

_Clarisse looks at Dan again and circles him. “Appearance wise, yes. We have a lot of work to do on how you present yourself through actions, however. Even the nicest clothes will not hide a slouch.”_

_“I don’t slouch,” Dan mumbled, crossing his arms before quickly uncrossing them. He didn’t want to get into trouble for that too._

_“Royals don’t mumble either, Daniel. Now, when royals walk, especially in public, they are always being seen by someone. We must hold our heads high and walk with our hips, not our chests.”_

_Clarisse demonstrates what she says and Dan nods. He attempts to copy her but ends up thrusting his hips more forward than his chest._

_“No, Daniel. Your chest should be in line with your hips, not lagging behind.”_

_“Oh.”_

_“Try again.” Dan does so and she claps happily. “Very well done. Your head is tilted a little too far back but you’re progressing quickly.”_

_They’re at it for the next few hours. Dan learns to walk with his head at the right angle (with a book on his head), how to bow, and how and when to offer his hand to a lady._

_The sun is half set by the time they finish. Charlotte had left at some point to attend to other duties. Dan’s tired by the time he’s allowed to sit normally. His back is somehow more sore than it is when he’s hunched over all day. Maybe his spine had simply gotten used to the horrid treatment._

_“I will see you tomorrow,” Clarisse says, leading Dan towards the front door._

_“Yeah, definitely.”_

_“Another thing to work on. Royals do not say ‘yeah’. If we wish to show approval, we may say ‘yes’ or any variant that is formal. That means ‘yeah’ and ‘yep’ are not appropriate.”_

_“Yes, grandma,” Dan says, using the new information. “I will see you tomorrow.”_

_As he heads for the door, Joe, the head security guard, opens it for him, which he thanks him for._

_“Good night, Grandma,” Dan says before bowing as he had been taught._

_“Very well done.” She pauses to curtsy. “Good night, Daniel.”_

~~~~

“Are we sure this is a good idea?” Dan asks for not the first time. “Can’t we just, like, not tell anyone. It’s not like it matters.”

Clarisse smiles. “Daniel, everything will go wonderfully. While the kingdom has never had two kings before, I have no doubt they will be accepting.”

Dan sighs. He knows she’s right. And he knows that the kingdom has to be told. Pj will be king alongside Dan. It’s not like they could keep it a secret forever.

“Dan, you’ll do great. Just- don’t throw up,” Louise says, reaching out to squeeze Dan’s arm.

“Gee thanks, great advice there.”

She laughs. “You’re welcome, your highness.”

If Dan were back in England and she said that, she would have gotten the finger. Though to be fair, for most of Dan’s life back in England, he didn’t know he was royal. The comment would have been even more sarcastic than it is now. Still though, with his grandma and fiancé both there, he has to maintain a professional attitude.

“Are you ready?” Pj asks then, gently taking Dan’s hand to squeeze it.

Dan sighs out a big breath. “I think if we wait any longer I’ll chicken out.”

Pj chuckles and nods to the guards to open the doors out to the balcony. It’s at the front of the palace, close to the people. There’s security and fencing, of course, but it’s the closest they can get to the public while still inside the castle. That’s why it’s chosen for announcements.

Dan steps up to the microphone and clears his throat, cringing as it echoes through the speakers.

“Hello, everyone. Thank you for coming,” he says.

He looks back at Clarisse, desperate for some kind of sign he was doing well, and she nods with a smile. Louise gives him a thumbs up and he turns back to the microphone.

“Today, I’m pleased to announce a royal engagement.” Dan doesn’t get the chance to continue as the crowd starts talking loudly. Cameras are still flashing at him and he knows there will be even more flashes when Pj comes out onto the balcony. “I understand this is exciting. I’m thrilled to have found such a wonderful partner to rule Genovia with me.”

The crowds are still talking loudly and Dan looks back again to see what he’s supposed to do. Clarisse gestures for him to continue so he does.

“I would like to introduce my fiancé and the future co-ruler of Genovia, Peter James Liguori.”

The crowd actually stops moving for a few seconds while Pj comes onto the balcony but as soon as he’s in view of the masses, there are camera flashes and people shouting to talk to each other.

Dan offers his hand to Pj and he accepts.

“Hello, everyone,” Pj says into the microphone. The speakers are loud and everyone surely hears him but no one pays attention.

Pj looks back to him and squeezes his hand. It’s at that moment Dan notices he’s shaking. He tries to stop it but can’t, so he settles for hoping no one will notice.

“As Prince Daniel said, my name is Peter James Liguori. I’m very thrilled to be engaged to Prince Daniel and I hope I can live up to any expectations you may have for his fiancé. Thank you.”

Once Pj finishes talking, they wave politely and turn to leave the balcony. Once they’re back in the confines of the castle, Dan lets go of a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

“Congratulations, Prince Daniel,” someone says.

Dan turns to see who it is and sees the Viscount. He holds himself back from scowling at the man as he answers.

“Why thank you, Viscount. Peter James and I are very happy together.” Dan accentuates his words by swinging Pj’s and his still connected hands.

Viscount smiles, though Dan can see right through it. “I can see that. Enjoy the crown, young prince.”

Dan smiles back, equally dishonest. “I will. Thank you.”

Viscount nods and walks off.

“Well then,” Pj says to break the thick silence.

“I don’t know if that could have gone better or worse,” Dan adds.

Clarisse smiles. “You both did wonderfully. You should be proud.”

~~~~

_“Prince Daniel! Prince! Over here!”_

_Dan feels overwhelmed. And betrayed._

_He told Louise yesterday about being a prince. He knows he shouldn’t have, but she was upset and questioning their friendship._

_“Lou! Did you tell?” he asks loudly, looking at Louise. Matt’s beside her looking very confused._

_“No! I’d never!” she says back and Dan trusts her. Louise isn’t the kind of person to lie._

_“Prince! What’s your skincare routine?”_

_“Prince Daniel, do you have a girlfriend?”_

_“Why did you choose to go to a public school?”_

_The questions just keep coming and Dan starts to panic. No one’s supposed to know. His grandma’s going to be so unimpressed and she may just decide to leave him to find another heir to the throne._

_“Dan, come on,” someone behind him says._

_He turns to see the school principal tugging on his jacket sleeve and he follows her into the school, being protected by her and two other teachers._

_“This way,” she says, leading him through the school and into her office. “Take a seat. Your grandma called. She’s on her way.”_

_Dan does as she says. Once he’s seated, he lifts his hands up and wipes them over his face, trying to calm himself down._

_Ten minutes later, his grandma and mother are both there._

_“Sorry for not having finer china,” Mrs Sans says to Clarisse, handing her a cup of tea in a coffee mug._

_“Oh, it’s no trouble.”_

_Clarisse picks up the newspaper on the principal’s desk and sighs. She turns it to face him. “How did this happen?” she asks._

_Dan spares a second to think how impressive it is that it’s already in the newspaper. “I don’t know, Grandma.”_

_“Did you tell someone?”_

_Dan looks down. He could tell Clarisse about Louise, or he could keep it a secret. He doesn’t know what consequences there would be for either him or her if he told Clarisse. “No. I didn’t tell anyone.”_

_“Ma’am,” Charlotte says, pushing the door open. Paolo is there._

_“Yes?”_

_Paolo sighs. “It is true. I told the press of Daniel’s status.” He looks at Dan. “I outed you.” A pause. “Not that I mean to imply you’re-”_

_“That’s enough,” Charlotte says, interrupting him._

_“Of course.”_

_“Why?” Clarisse asks._

_“I did not do it for money. Paolo hates money. He spits on it. There was no money. Well, there was some money. I mean someone like me needs-”_

_Charlotte sends him a look and he trails off._

_“The point is,” he continues, “It was ego and pride that caused me to seek out the press. I wanted people to know it was I who created the prince’s new look. It was my work.”_

_Clarisse maintains her neutral expression and waves him away. Charlotte opens the door and guides him out, closing it behind him. There’s press right outside - how they got into the school, Dan would never know._

_“As royals, we interact with the press everyday,” Clarisse says to Dan’s mum._

_Dan can tell she’s not as calm._

_“You don’t have to do this, Dan,” she says, placing her hand on his shoulder. “You could get out of this whole thing right now. We can go home and have normal lives.”_

_“Your mother is right, Daniel. We had a deal. If you no longer wish to continue your training, I will understand.”_

_Dan looks at his knees and thinks. He could continue his training and he’d likely get used to managing the press. Or he could renounce his title right there and then and that would be it. He could return to life as a normal teenager with his mother and have all of this go away forever. He hates to admit it, but the latter option sounds awfully appealing._

_“I will think about it and let you know soon,” he decides to say. It’s too big a decision to make in the moment. He needs time to think and to talk to Louise to see what she thinks. His mother and grandma are biased towards what they desire for him while Louise is a neutral third party only wanting what’s best for him._

_Clarisse nods. “A diplomatic answer. Polite, yet vague.”_

_Dan smiles at her and looks back at his mum._

_“I’m proud of you, Dan,” she says._

_“Thanks, Mum.”_

~~~~

Dan’s been hiding from his maids for about half an hour now. He’s supposed to be having his measurements taken by the tailors for his wedding suit but he really isn’t in the mood.

Charlotte has found him and told him that Pj left the palace, and that he will call when he arrives home. Seconds after that, Phil appears.

“What do you want?” Dan asks, frowning.

Phil’s standing in front of him, picking at a flower in the vase next to them.

“Are you having second thoughts?” Phil asks, gesturing to Dan’s ring. He’d been looking at it moments before, thinking about how fast everything was moving.

“Not at all. On the contrary, actually. I was admiring my ring. It belonged to Pj’s father’s.”

Phil ‘hmph’s to show he doesn’t believe Dan. Dan ignores it and turns to go up the stairs they’re standing at the bottom of. He gets a few steps up before Phil’s following right behind him.

Phil stops a little too close to Dan for comfort, causing Dan to step back so their faces were more than a foot away from each other. He starts to head back down the stairs to go up the other side and Phil thankfully doesn’t follow.

“Can I help you?” Dan asks, confused as to what Phil’s playing at.

“No no, not at all. I mean, you are the one who stomped on me with your big feet.”

“‘Big feet’?” Dan asks, offended.

Phil nods.

“Well, you’re the one that danced with my ‘big feet’.”

Phil shrugs. “Fine, I danced with you. I didn’t know it was a crime. Call the guards, I should be arrested.”

Dan rolls his eyes. He’s not sure why Phil’s being as ass again. Their last conversation was borderline nice and Dan’s not sure what he did to make Phil mad again.

It’s not like he wants Phil’s approval or acceptance. The man’s trying to steal his crown, after all. But having his enemy like him also isn’t a terrible idea. Perhaps Phil would be easier to take down if Dan’s nice to him. Keep your friends close, enemies closer and all that.

“Need I remind you,” Phil continues, “we only danced for a minute.”

Dan looks towards the flowers to the right of him. They’re at the top of the staircase now with only a metre or so between them.

“It was more than a minute,” Dan mumbles before realising he’d said it out loud.

Phil laughs. “A minute and a half, then.”

Dan scoffs. “Fine. It was a minute and a half. And a lie. I didn’t know who you were or that you were trying to steal my crown.”

“Oh, sorry. I simply had a momentary lapse in my manners. See, usually when I ask someone to dance, I make sure to show them my full family tree and establish any crown-stealing plans as I introduce myself.”

“Well, aren’t you just- just so clever with your little comebacks.”

Phil laughs again, and follows Dan as he starts to walk away from his maid’s voices.

“While you were doing your little lie dance-” Dan starts, before Phil cuts him off.

“‘Lie dance’?”

“Yes, ‘lie dance’,” Dan says. He hears Clarisse say she’s going to check the ballroom which Dan quickly realises requires going through the foyer.

Dan looks around and spots an appliance cupboard right next to where they are. He pulls open the door and gestures for Phil to enter.

Dan closes the door behind him and turns the light on.

“The lie dance is not the point,” he says, crossing his arms.

“And what is the point?” Phil answers.

He reaches over and turns off the light, frustrating Dan. He reaches to turn it back on.

“The point is, I know what you’re up to,” he says.

Since the cupboard is so small, he and Phil are close to each other, closer than they’d been on the stairs earlier, but Dan doesn’t let that discourage him. He lifts his hand to point it at Phil.

“And I won’t let you get away with it,” Dan continues.

At that exact moment, the door opens and Dan spins to see Louise and Clarisse. He pushes Phil away and he stumbles backwards.

“Daniel,” Clarisse says. She sounds very unimpressed.

Louise, on the other hand, is laughing. “Dan, you’re meant to be out of the closet now.”

Clarisse doesn’t get the joke and Dan doesn’t have the time to acknowledge it as Clarisse is pulling him from the cupboard.

Phil stands still, clearly unsure what he’s supposed to do. Clarisse barely contains her scowl at him and marches off with Dan’s harm in her hand. Louise lingers back for a second and Dan hears her say something to Phil but it’s too quiet to hear.

“I can’t believe you,” Clarisse says once they reach Dan’s quarters.

“Nothing happened.”

That doesn’t seem to calm her. “Was something _going_ to happen?” she asks.

“No! I was just hiding from my maids and Phil was being annoying.”

“And how did you end up in the closet together?”

“As I said, I was hiding. Phil found me and I just closed the door to tell him off.”

Clarisse doesn’t seem to fully believe him but thankfully doesn’t say anything more.

“That was very inappropriate, Dan. Be thankful it was Louise and I who found you. The news would spread very quickly if it were one of your maids.”

“So they like gossip, who cares.”

“I care, Daniel. And you should too. This is your reputation and your future. Why can you not understand that?”

“I understand that fine, Grandma!” Dan says, exasperated. “But nothing was happening. You just opened the door at the exact wrong moment.”

Clarisse sighs. “I do not want to see you fraternising with the enemy.”

“And you won’t, I promise.”

“Good,” she says, thankfully accepting his explanation.

“I guess I’ll go find the tailors,” he says, unhappy. He knows it has to be done. It’s just the idea of having the suit makes the whole thing a lot more official. He’s going to be married in three weeks time and he will be king a few days after that.

“You should. You’re running behind schedule today because of that little stunt.”

Dan shrugs at that. It’s the staff’s job to wait on him. He’s not late, they’re just early, or something along those lines.

“Go on now. And don’t forget to find the head chef to discuss cake options, too.”

Dan sighs. “Yes, Grandma.”

“I care about you, Daniel,” she says, patting his shoulder.

“I know,” Dan says sadly. “I’m sorry if I’m not what you wanted for the future king of Genovia.”

“Daniel,” she says, turning Dan with her hand. “You will make a wonderful king. You just need to understand that certain behaviours are inappropriate for royalty.”

Dan nods. “Yeah, I know.” He pauses, looking towards the door. “I, uh, better get going,” he says, gesturing behind himself.

“Good luck, Daniel.”

“Thanks, I’ll need it,” Dan says, laughing lightly.

He’d have to catch Louise up at some point. Make sure she knows there is absolutely nothing going on between him and Phil. He’s not sure she’ll believe him since she was a fan of them at the ball, but hopefully she’ll understand.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by dxnhowell.

Dan tries to lay low after the little closet incident with Phil, and especially tries to keep his distance from Phil too. His grandma is watching him like a hawk and the last thing he needs is for her to think that he’s having some sort of affair with the man who’s trying to steal the crown.

Dan plans to stay loyal to Pj, despite not really knowing him well or loving him yet. Dan hopes that will change in the future. Pj is kind, and super sweet. Dan doesn’t want to mess this up.

Dan doesn’t need Phil to be mixed in with his busy schedule anyways. He’s already got a million things to worry about right now regarding his princely duties. He’s trying his best to keep his distance, but it’s hard when Phil seems to be popping up everywhere he goes.

“Nobody said anything about archery training,” Dan says as he stands with Pj in the courtyard, arms crossed against his chest as he stares at his grandma, shooting arrow after arrow directly into the target. Louise is with him as well, “for support”, but Dan knows better. She just wants to tag along so she can make fun of him whenever he misses the target, because that will certainly happen today.

“It’s very important that you learn the art of archery, Daniel,” Clarisse says, finally lowering her bow, and turning to look at Dan. “You must take it seriously.”

“You think I wouldn’t take it seriously, Grandma?” Dan asks, raising his eyebrows.

“That’s not what I said,” Clarisse replies, before sighing. “But I want you to take it seriously.”

“Yeah, but _why_ ? What’s the purpose of archery training?” Dan asks, already bored even though they haven’t really started his training yet. He doesn’t want to be here, especially when he’s most likely to embarrass himself in front of Pj. He wants Pj to have a _good_ impression of him.

“It’s a tradition that we plan to continue, Daniel,” Clarisse warns. “You will have to do archery at your coronation ceremony when you officially become King Of Genovia.”

“Well, at least there’s a purpose,” Daniel mumbles.

“Of course there’s a purpose,” Clarisse sighs.

“Give it a try, Dan. Maybe you’ll find that you like archery,” Pj speaks up.

“Peter James is correct. Archery is easy, and quite fun. You will have it down in no time,” Clarisse agrees.

“Says you. You’ve been doing archery for years!” Dan complains. “I’ve never shot an arrow in my life.”

“She’s right, Dan,” Pj says, his voice soft and reassuring, and kind of makes Dan melt a little. Dan didn’t think that he would actually like Pj because of the arranged marriage. But, the more they spent time together, the more Dan feels that maybe they can actually make this work.

Dan turns to look at Pj. “Oh, what? Are you gonna tell me you’re some archery master too?”

Pj chuckles. “I’m no master in archery. Not at all. But, we were still trained in my hometown,” he says. “It’s perfectly okay if you don’t shoot the target on your first try. It took me months to perfect.”

“I thought you said you _weren’t_ a master?” Dan asks, raising his eyebrows.

“I’m not,” Pj grins. “But who says I can’t brag about my archery skill?”

“Alright, then. Let’s see you try,” Dan says, taking a step back and then gesturing towards the target.

“Really?” Pj asks, raising his eyebrows at Dan. “You want to see me shoot?”

“Yes, I would like to. After all, I’m going to need all the help I can get. Just ask Louise. I’m the clumsiest human being on this planet. I literally trip on air. So, I can only imagine how terrible I’m going to be when it comes to archery,” Dan says.

“It’s true,” Louise agrees, looking over at Peter James. “I’ve got many stories of Dan completely falling on his ass-” She stops when she sees the warning look on Clarisse’s face. “Uh, sorry, your majesty. Anyways, there was this one time he thought he would take up skateboarding one summer and he was terrible-”

Pj smiles softly as he listens to Louise ramble on.

“He would try so hard to impress the girls that would come to the skating rink and failed miserably,”

“Lou,” Dan groans as he buries his face in his hands to hide his now pink cheeks.

“No, please continue,” Pj urges, nodding at Louise. “I would love to hear more about Dan’s childhood.”

“Well, lucky for you, I have endless stories,” Louise grins. 

Dan laughs awkwardly. “Okay! Grandma?” He turns to look at Clarisse. “Can Pj shoot?”

“Of course, darling,” Clarisse says, handing Pj the bow and arrow. “The target is all yours.”

“You’re such a party pooper,” Louise grumbles, though her tone is playful.

“Thank you, your majesty,” Pj replies politely as he takes the bow and arrow from her. He walks forward and places himself in front of the target. Dan watches closely as Pj grips a hold of the bow and arrow and raises his arm. He takes a moment before shooting the arrow, hitting the target spot on. Pj looks over at Dan and grins. “See? I have some skill in archery, don’t I?”

“Alright, show-off,” Dan mumbles, but he can’t help but smile, because Pj’s smile is so contagious.

“Your aim is wonderful, Peter James. I’m sure Dan will be able to learn a thing or two from you,” Clarisse says, nodding her head approvingly at Pj.

“Dan will learn a thing or two from him alright,” Louise whispers from behind Dan.

Dan turns and glares at Louise. “Shut it,” he warns. “This is no time for inappropriate jokes!”

Louise snorts. “Come on. That was a good one!”

Dan rolls his eyes, before he looks over at his grandma. “Will you be staying for my archery lesson?”

“Oh, no, no,” Clarisse shakes her head. “I’ve got a busy schedule ahead of myself-”

“As if that’s anything new,” Dan says, cutting her off, and then grinning when Clarisse gives him a warning glare. “Come on, you know it’s true. You’re always busy.”

“That’s what happens when you’re Queen,” Clarisse retorts. “Anyways, I’m busy today, so unfortunately I cannot stay for this morning’s lesson. But, you will be in good hands. We have people ready to train you, or Pj if you’re more comfortable with Pj training you. But, I must be off now.”

“Alright, Grandma. I’ll see you later then,” Dan says.

Clarisse shoots him a soft smile before turning on her heels and walking away with her primary security guard, Joe.

“Are you ready to give it a try, Dan?” Pj asks, stepping closer to Dan.

“No,” Dan responds immediately. “Maybe you should shoot a couple more times.”

“Dan,” Pj chuckles. “You’re never going to be able to learn properly if you just watch. You have to be able to shoot it.” He hands Dan the bow and arrow, and gently leads him to where he was standing before.

Louise smirks as she crosses her arms against her chest, watching Dan and Pj interact.

“What do I do?” Dan asks, looking up at Pj.

“Just shoot,” Pj tells him.

“Just shoot?” Dan repeats, frowning slightly. “That’s all?”

“Yes, let’s see how well you do,” Pj says, taking a slight step back.

Dan nods. “Just shoot,” he mumbles to himself. He gets himself into position, finding the target. He raises his arm, and pulls back to shoot, but accidentally hits Pj in the chest with his elbow. He gasps, and turns to look at Pj. “Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Pj says, groaning as he rubs at his chest. “Don’t worry about it. You’re just nervous.”

“I feel like such an idiot,” Dan whines. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Dan, I’m fine. It will only hurt for a moment,” Pj tries to reassure him. “Try again. Relax, this time.”

Dan hesitates, before getting back into his previous position. He raises his arm again, and is careful as he pulls his arm back, not wanting to hit Pj again. Dan tries to line up the arrow to match the target, but when he shoots, the arrow goes flying way _above_ the target. “Damnit,”

“Like I said, you won’t hit the target on your first try,” Pj says.

Dan turns to look at him. “I literally hit you in the chest with my elbow on my first try!”

“That was my fault. I should have taken a step further back,” Pj says playfully.

Dan scowls, and then he glances over when he hears sudden whistling. He spots _Phil_ , of all people, wandering in the garden. Dan glares. Of course he would show up during his archery lesson.

Dan clears his throat. “Excuse me, I need to talk to Louise for a second,” he says, before rushing over to Louise, and then pulling her to the side. “Don’t look, but Phil’s over there.”

“What?” Louise hisses. “That little- hasn’t he caused enough?”

“I don’t know! I just want to go talk to him for a moment. Can you distract Pj for me?” Dan asks.

“Dan,” Louise warns. “I do not like where this is going.”

“Relax, okay? I’m just going to get rid of him,” Dan whispers, glancing back at Phil, only to see him watching them. He sighs and then looks back at Louise. “Please Lou?”

Louise rolls her eyes. “Fine. But he better be gone in five seconds,” she hisses, before they walk back over towards Pj.

“Maybe we should take a little break before we really get started,” Dan suggests. “Maybe a spot of tea? Pj, Louise can show you the garden. It’s lovely.”

“Alright. You’ll be joining us?” Pj asks, looking at Dan.

“Oh yes, of course I’ll join. I’ll be there in just a moment,” Dan assures him. He smiles as Louise leads Pj away. He turns and glares at Phil, before storming over to him. “What are you doing here? Haven’t you caused enough with that little stunt you pulled in the closet?”

“Actually, if I remember correctly, you’re the one who pulled me into the closet,” Phil says. “And honestly, I was happy being _out_ of the closet before you pulled me back in”

Dan rolls his eyes. “Really? You’re going to make a gay joke too?”

Phil smirks. “The opportunity was there, so I took it,” he says proudly.

“Honestly,” Dan mutters under his breath, before looking up at Phil. “Anyways, you need to leave.”

“Actually, I was going to offer some assistance. “You need some help?” Phil asks, nodding towards the target. He walks over and gestures towards the bow and arrow on the ground.

Dan sighs with frustration, before walking over to Phil. He bends down and picks up the bow and arrow. “Go on then. Show me your expertise,” he says, holding up the bow and arrow again.

Phil steps closer to him. “Touch your mouth,” he says, startling Dan.

“I beg your pardon?” Dan asks, glancing towards Phil. “That is no way to talk to-”

Phil gently taps on Dan’s arm. “Touch your mouth,” he repeats. Dan does as he’s told, and raises his arm so that his hand is closer to his mouth. “Perfect.” Phil places his hand on Dan’s shoulder, and moves it down slightly. He looks at the target, before looking back at Dan. “Shoot.”

Dan shoots the arrow, and gasps with excitement when he shoots the target directly in the middle. “Wow! I did it!” He cheers, and looks up at Phil proudly. “Did you see that shot?”

“Excellent shot. How does that feel?” Phil asks.

“Really good,” Dan replies, nodding. “It feels really good, actually. Third time’s the charm, I guess?”

“Good,” Phil replies, his voice low.

Dan bites his lip as he stares at Phil, and can’t help but notice Phil leaning closer to him, but for some reason, Dan doesn’t stop him. In fact, Dan leans closer as well. But, they’re quickly interrupted when Fat Louie comes out of nowhere, running across the courtyard, startling Dan and causing him to jump apart from Phil. “Stupid cat!”

Phil laughs nervously. “I should get going. Good luck with the rest of your lesson,”

Dan looks over at Phil, and takes a deep breath as he watches him walk away. “More like stupid Phil,” he mumbles, not caring how childish he sounds. This is not good. He almost kissed the enemy. His rival. Even worse, he almost kissed someone who isn’t Pj. Dan swore that he would stay loyal to Pj, who is going to be future king as well. Not Phil. Dan really needs to talk to Louise. She’ll know what to do.

It’s not like he can talk to his grandma about his almost-kiss with Phil.

Dan abandons the courtyard, suddenly forgetting all about the bow and arrow, and makes his way towards the seating area where Louise and Pj are already getting their tea.

“Oh, Dan! Wonderful. You’re just in time,” Louise says. She looks at Dan, and frowns when she notices the worried look on his face. “Are you alright, Dan? You look a little-”

“I’m fine,” Dan quickly cuts her off. “I think my nerves are getting to me.” He chuckles nervously as he places himself in the seat beside Pj. Pj. Pj. Pj. That’s who he needs to focus on.

Louise gives him a look, and Dan knows she’s not buying his excuse.

“It’s alright, Dan,” Pj tries to assure him, placing a hand on his shoulder, which makes Dan feel guilty about how close he had gotten to Phil. “You’ll get there eventually.”

“I mean, it’s not like I have a whole lot of time before I become king,” Dan mumbles.

“No need to worry. You’ll have plenty of time to practice,” Pj continues. “We’ll continue your lesson after some tea. Perhaps that will calm you down.”

Louise stares at Dan, and Dan only shakes his head at her, mouth ‘later’ to her.

Luckily, Louise doesn’t bring it up in conversation until after they are well done with the archery lesson. They’re sitting in Louise’s room, which seems to be their go-to place for their conversations.

“What on Earth is going on with you?” Louise hisses.

“Lou, I messed up. Like really messed up, and I need to talk to you. But, you have to promise not to tell _anyone_ ,” Dan warns. “Not even Grandma. She especially cannot know.”

“This has to do with Phil, doesn’t it?” Louise asks, because _of course_ she would know.

“Look, I tried to get rid of Phil this morning, Lou. I _tried_. But, he kept on being his charming- _stupid_ self, like he always is for some dumb reason,” Dan rambles. “And apparently everyone around here is some sort of archery master because he was like ‘let me teach you’ and-”

“What?” Louise gasps, looking scandalized. “Dan! That is certainly not trying to get rid of him.”

“I tried,” Dan whines. “And then he got really close to me when he was helping me shoot an arrow, and I did shoot the arrow. I got it directly on the target! Can you believe that?”

Louise scowls at him, and then she sighs. “I mean, that’s good. I’m glad you shot the arrow perfectly, but-”

“That’s not even the worse part,” Dan mumbles.

“Dan, _please_ tell me you didn’t,” Louise groans, falling back onto the pillows.

“Nothing happened!” Dan exclaims, turning to face Louise.

“But was something almost going to happen?” Louise asks, looking over at Dan.

“Maybe,” Dan admits. “For once, that stupid cat of yours came in handy because he came out of nowhere and stopped the kiss from actually happening. Lou, I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

“You have a crush on Philip Lester. That’s what’s wrong with you,” Louise tells him.

“I do not have a crush on Phil bloody Lester,” Dan grumbles, crossing his arms against his chest.

Louise laughs loudly. “That’s funny, Dan. Real funny. Since when did you become such a comedian?”

Dan instantly glares at her. “Shut up,” he whines. “Come on. This is serious, Louise. I almost kissed Phil! What am I supposed to do now? I can’t kiss Phil. I don’t want to kiss Phil. Not when I’m supposed to be planning my future with Pj. I want Pj to be able to trust me.”

“Well, first of all, you need to distance yourself from Phil from now on,” Louise tells him. “Pj will only get suspicious of you if you keep hanging around Phil the way you have been.”

“I’ve already tried doing that, believe me. But, he keeps popping up everywhere I go!” Dan huffs. “I’m not even joking. It’s so weird. It’s like he’s following my every move or something.”

“Maybe I should follow you around more. Stop you from doing something stupid around Phil again. Lord, Dan. First the closet incident, and now you almost kiss him?” Louise tsks. “You’re in a pickle, huh?”

“Yeah, I guess that’s one way to put it,” Dan mumbles, feeling so disappointed with himself.

Not only did he almost cheat on Pj, someone who he’s meant to be marrying so soon, but now he has to lie to his grandma about what happened with Phil because she _cannot_ find out about their almost-kiss.

Dan knows Louise has a blabbermouth sometimes so he can only hope she’ll keep this to herself.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by Christy (rainbowchristy).
> 
> TW: Kissing without consent, swearing. One more in endnotes to avoid spoilers.

Dan is to be married in less than two weeks now. It’s been five days since Dan almost cheated on his fiancé and thankfully, neither Pj nor Clarisse knows what happened. Louise has been keeping a close eye on him and following him everywhere. Dan’s not entirely sure if he’s thankful or annoyed by her presence.

Currently, Dan’s sat in the palace gardens along with Pj and Louise. Clarisse decided to host a party and so here they are. Dan claps when the opera singer finishes and turns to Louise once she leaves the stage.

“I’m going to grab a drink,” he says.

Louise nods. “Get me some punch please.”

“I only have two hands and Pj wants a drink. Don’t be lazy.”

Louise swats him playfully. “Fine. I guess I’ll just die of thirst.”

Dan shrugs. “Sounds good to me.”

Pj has his camera with him. His love for photography hadn’t come up when they were getting to know each other but once he found the camera in Dan’s chambers, it has practically become a part of him.

“Wait, stop,” Pj says suddenly, holding out one hand to stop Dan. “The lighting is perfect here.”

Dan groans. “No, no more photos.”

“Come on! Just one more!”

Dan shakes his head, using his hands to block the camera.

“Please,” Pj begs and Dan groans quietly. He still has to seem polite after all. A future king couldn’t be seen groaning and moaning about doing a small task for someone.

“Fine. Only one. And that’s it!”

Pj pumps his fist. “Yes,” he whispers excitedly to himself. “Okay, stand still.”

Pj takes a couple of steps back before crashing into someone. He trips over his own feet trying to catch himself and falls to the gravel pathway.

“Pj!” Dan shouts, rushing up to him to help him stand up. “Are you okay?”

Pj nods and Dan smiles at him, glad his fiancé is safe.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” the person Pj ran into says. Dan looks towards the voice and sees none other than Phil Lester. He has his hand interlocked with another man and Dan spares a second to look at him before continuing to glare at Phil.

“Watch where you’re going,” Dan hisses.

Phil lifts his hand to point at himself. “Me?” he asks. “I was just standing here with my date. It’s your _fiancé_ who ran into me,” he says, mocking the word ‘fiancé’.

“He was taking photos. You should be watching out for all the photographers, they’re more important than you.”

“He’s hardly a photographer. It’s a hobby,” Phil says, shrugging.

Out of the corner of his eye, Dan sees Pj and Phil’s date exchange a look.

“Oh!” he says. “How rude of me. This is Peter James, my fiancé and the future co-king of Genovia.”

Phil seems to realise he hasn’t introduced his date either and clears his throat. “Chris,” he says, gesturing to his date. “We were just discussing his latest achievement. He’s been accepted into Yale.”

Dan looks to Chris. “Very impressive. Congratulations.”

“Thanks,” Chris says before laughing awkwardly.

“You know, Pj was offered a scholarship to Oxford for English Language.”

Phil nods. “Very good. Did you know Chris does a lot of work in advocating for working class rights. Your nana never really treated them too well, did she?”

Dan frowns at that. It wasn’t true at all. The working class has a great relationship with Queen Clarisse and they’re more fond of Dan than the upper class has ever been. He chooses not to comment on it though.

“Well, Pj here works for Save The Children. Isn’t that just marvelous?”

Phil tilts his head in acknowledgement.

“Really? Well Chris actually-”

“Uh, Phil,” Chris interrupts. Phil either doesn’t hear or chooses to ignore it as he continues.

“Excuse me, Phil,” Dan interrupts this time, stopping Phil. “I believe Chris is trying to say something. Yes, Chris?”

Chris looks at Pj. “Would you like to grab a treat together? I have a feeling they’re going to start a ‘my horse is bigger than your horse’ interaction.”

Pj chuckles and nods. He side-hugs Dan and kisses his cheek before walking off with Chris.

“I must say though, Dan’s horse is actually very big,” he says. Chris laughs and then there’s too much external noise for Dan to hear what they’re saying.

“So, um,” Dan says, suddenly out of ways to boast about his partner.

“Yeah, uh,” Phil says, laughing. “Lovely party, isn’t it?”

Dan nods. “Yes, indeed. It’s very lovely. Wonderful weather for it too.”

“Definitely. You know, you and Peter James make a cute couple.”

“We do. Thank you for noticing.”

Phil hums. “It’s a shame you’re not really attracted to him.”

“Yeah, it’s- wait,” Dan says, agreeing before realising what Phil had said.

Phil chuckles and turns to walk off, heading away from the party.

“You can’t just-” Dan says as he chases after Phil. “You can’t just say something like that and walk off.”

Phil tilts his head. “Why not?”

“Because I’m actually very attracted to Pj. In fact, I’m so attracted to Pj I didn’t even notice you when Pj was taking my photo.”

“Well, obviously,” Phil says sarcastically.

Dan groans as he trips on a pebble, knocking into Phil but thankfully catching himself. “I am! He- he’s kind and he understands me.”

“Oh he understands you,” Phil says, mocking. “What true passion.” He pauses as they walk around a tree towards the fountain. “You know, I didn’t hear you mention love.”

Dan scoffs and rolls his eyes. “You are so jealous.”

“Why would I be jealous of _Peter James_?”

Dan walks around the fountain away from Phil.

“I mean, he’s got to spend the rest of his life with you,” Phil continues, having not got a reaction from his question.

Dan spins around and restrains himself from hitting Phil, even if it’s just a light push.

“I loathe you,” he says, frowning.

Phil gasps. “Well, I loathe you too.” Except Phil doesn’t seem to mean it as he steps closer to Dan. Just as close as he’d been when he helped Dan with archery. If you could call it helping. Dan knows he was just trying to get into Dan’s head.

“I loathed you first!”

Phil chuckles and before Dan has a chance to react, he’s pulled into a kiss.

He doesn’t pull back at first. In fact, he wraps his arm around Phil’s shoulders and threads his other hand in his hair. It’s nothing heavy, nothing more than lips on lips. But Dan can’t lie, it’s passionate.

That is, until the spell is broken and Dan’s eyes blow wide. He starts hitting Phil’s chest until the man pulls away.

“What is wrong with you?! You can’t just do that! You can’t go around kissing people! Particularly engaged people!”

Phil laughs. “You liked it. Do you want to kiss again?”

“I- well- stop trying to confuse me!” Dan says, pointing a finger accusingly at Phil.

Phil takes his hand and lowers it to his side.

“What’s confusing about a kiss?” he asks.

Dan glowers. “You’re just trying to make me like you so I’ll break up with Pj and then the crown’s all yours!”

Dan turns to storm away but Phil grabs his wrist and pulls Dan against his chest.

“Well, maybe I am, or maybe I just like kissing you.”

Dan fights against him. “Well- you- you stay away from me! You got that?”

Dan and Phil wrestle back and forth until Dan pulls back a little too much. The back of his leg hits the edge of the fountain and he goes toppling in. Phil follows too since they’re holding onto each other and a second later they’re both soaked.

Dan sits up, gasping more from the fall than from being underwater for any amount of time.

“Dan!” Phil calls worriedly, starting to wade over to Dan.

“You know what?” Dan says, standing up. “How about you go underwater and I’ll count to one million?”

Dan pushes through the water and Phil falls after him. “Dan, careful. Dan,” he says, trying to grab Dan before he can walk away.

He doesn’t get the change though, as Dan hoists himself out of the fountain and heads straight for the palace. He arrives quickly but unfortunately, Clarisse is standing at the bottom of the steps he needs to go up.

She spots him and Dan notices the slight way her eyes widen. When Dan reaches her, she leans in.

“Do I want to know?” she asks.

Dan grins sheepishly. “Uh, I don’t think so.”

She nods and Dan heads up the stairs.

“I’ll be two seconds, Dan,” Pj says from behind him. Dan doesn’t even acknowledge him. He’s too ashamed right now.

“He’s going to be a handful, isn’t he?” Pj says to Clarisse with a smile.

She sighs. “You’ll never be bored, Peter James.”

Clarisse sighs and follows Dan. Pj hangs back, prefering to let Clarisse comfort Dan.

Once they reach Dan’s chambers, the guard leaves. A maid follows them in but Clarisse quickly dismisses her so they can have a private conversation.

She takes a seat on the couch and sighs again. “Have a shower and change your clothes.”

Dan nods, thinking maybe he’s gotten out of having the conversation with her.

He realises he hasn’t, though, when she adds, “I’ll be waiting when you get back.”

Dan swallows and does as she says. He warms up with a quick shower and puts on some pyjamas. He’s not planning on leaving his room again today. After talking with his grandma, he’s going to go to bed and sulk. Maybe he’ll ask a maid to summon Louise if he gets lonely. He can’t bear the thought of seeing Pj after what he did.

“Phil and I kissed.”

Clarisse’s eyes go as wide as saucers. Dan’s noticed her facial expressions are always more significant when she’s not in public.

“I beg your pardon?” she asks.

Dan sighs. “Phil and I kissed in front of the fountain,” Dan says, pointing towards the window, from which the fountain is visible.

She shakes her head, likely trying to clear her thoughts. “And may I inquire as to how you ended up soaked?”

“I tried to push him away and I tripped.”

“Into the fountain?”

Dan nods.

“Well, that is certainly a story and a half.”

Dan laughs awkwardly. “Um, so, you’re not mad?”

Clarisse’s somewhat amused expression morphs into a much more serious one.

“Oh, I am furious, Daniel,” she says, standing up and walking over to Dan. “When are you going to start behaving responsibly?”

Dan looks down, ashamed.

“Hiding in a closet with a man who is not your betrothed,” she says, clearly starting a list. “Nearly kissing the same man-”

“How do you know about that?” Dan interrupts.

Clarisse doesn’t spare a second to answer his question. “Coming out of a fountain dripping wet with the same man who is, again, not your betrothed.”

Dan sits up from the couch he was lying on. “Do you think I plan for these things to happen? I was mad. Sometimes people get mad.”

Clarisse stops her pacing. “We can’t afford to get mad, Daniel. Others get mad and lash out. We can’t afford to do that. People look up to us. We’re held to much higher standards than the common folk. Can you try to grasp that concept, please?” she says, exasperated.

Dan groans. “The concept is grasped well and tight. The execution of the concept, however, kinda leaves something to be desired.”

She chuckles. “Well, I’d say so.”

Dan lies back down with a ‘humph’ and Clarisse sighs.

“Try and get some sleep. You seem tired.”

Dan nods and sits up to climb over the back of the couch towards his bedroom.

“Goodbye, Daniel,” Clarisse says, harsh since Dan had forgotten.

“Farewell, Grandmother,” Dan says, equally as harsh.

Dan groans and slaps his face a little to clear his head. “I can’t fucking believe him,” he says to himself quietly so his grandma doesn’t hear.

~~~~

Dan takes his grandma’s advice and ends up sleeping until after dinner time.

The maid cleaning his room informs him that Pj had tried to visit and Dan thanks her for telling him. She excuses herself now that Dan’s awake.

“Olivia?” he calls before she can get too far.

“Yes, Prince Daniel?”

“Can you please find Louise? I need to speak with her.”

Olivia nods. “Of course.” She rushes from the room after that and Dan flops onto the couch with crossed arms.

He’s got a lot on his mind. Phil, Pj, Louise. Dan curses at himself as he realised Phil came first in the list of things to think about. He should come last, not first. He’s the least important of all of them.

“Where have you been?” Louise says loudly as she bursts into the room, Olivia rushing in after her.

She looks ready to be reprimanded for letting Louise barge into his room but Dan’s not mad. He simply dismisses Olivia and pats the seat next to him so Louise will sit.

She eyes him warily. “What did you do?” she asks.

Dan sighs and her eyes widen.

“No, you did not. Daniel!” she says, chastising.

“I didn’t mean to!”

“You’ve had the hots for him since you met him. Now, what happened?”

“I swear I didn’t mean to! He kissed me, not the other way around!”

She rolls her eyes. “Sure. Now spill the tea.”

“He was being annoying at the party and said that I didn’t fancy Pj. I do, though, so I went after him to tell him that. I don’t really know what happened but we were mid-argument and he kissed me.”

“Did you stop it?”

“Yeah.” Dan looks down. “Well, not at first. I was shocked and didn’t know what to do. As soon as I came to my senses I pushed him away. He was being an ass and almost kissed me a second time but I pushed him away. He was holding me though and when I pushed him back I fell into the fountain, taking him with me.”

“That explains why he was wet then. I thought you’d just had a good time.”

Dan’s eyes open wide. “Ew! Lou! Gross!”

She laughs. “I’m teasing, Dan.”

Dan suddenly remembers his grandma’s words.

“Did you tell Grandma about what happened during archery practise?” he asks, moving to sit further away from Louise.

She shakes her head. “No, never.”

“Well, she found out. And she was not impressed, to say the least.”

Louise shrugs. “I can’t blame her. I mean, he _is_ trying to steal your crown. And besides, you’re in a relationship. You’re technically cheating and it’s still wrong even when you’re the crown prince.”

“You don’t think I know that?” Dan snaps at her before looking down, guilty. “I’m sorry. I’m just stressed and scared and I don’t know what to do. Maybe I shouldn’t be crowned prince. I mean, I’m not even loyal to Pj, how could I be loyal to a whole country.”

Louise chuckles. “Okay, first, I don’t think you can cheat on a country. And second, you’ll make a great king. Those thoughts are just your self-doubt trying to make a comeback.”

Dan smiles. “Thanks, Louise. You’re a good friend.”

She laughs. “Way to friend-zone me, Dan,” she says.

Dan shoves her.

“You’ve got Matt anyway.”

“And you’ve got Pj.”

Dan frowns and looks down at his feet.

“How am I meant to face him?” he whispers.

Louise places a hand on Dan’s shoulder. “You didn’t mean to kiss him, Dan. It just happened. It’s up to you whether you want to share the, well, _incident_ , with him, but I hope you realise that you didn’t do anything wrong. You didn’t initiate anything with him.”

“It’s still cheating, no matter who initiated it,” Dan says sadly.

Louise sighs. “Do you think you’ll tell Pj?”

Dan shakes his head rapidly. “No way. He’d freak. We’re meant to be married in eleven days and there’s no way I’m jeopardising that.”

“Do you love him?”

“That’s what got me into this mess.”

Louise tilts her head. “Loving him got you into this mess? Or not loving him enough?”

Dan shakes his head. “I love him heaps, Lou. He means a lot to me and it’s funny because at the start of this whole thing, I never thought I’d fall in love in less than a month. But Pj, he’s such a wonderful person. He makes me want to be better and isn’t that what a significant other is supposed to do?”

“It is,” Louise says, smiling. “It’s wonderful he can make you feel that way, it really is. But, does Phil make you feel that way _more_ than Pj?”

Dan blinks back a tear of frustration. “I don’t know,” he whispers.

Louise sighs and pats his shoulder. “Unfortunately, that’s not something someone else can decide for you. Maybe chat to Pj? See what he thinks.”

Dan shakes his head. “I don’t want to hurt him.”

“Dan, if you and Pj are truly meant to be, then he’ll understand that you have never initiated anything with Phil.”

“But-” Dan says, cutting himself off with a sigh. “I don’t know. I just need to sleep on it. I’ll decide in the morning.”

Louise nods. “That’s a good idea,” she says. After a pause, she adds, “Let me know what you decide when you know?”

“Of course, you’ll be the first to know.”

Louise stands from the couch and turns to look at Dan. She opens her mouth to speak before closing it again and sighing through her nose.

“Good night, Dan.”

“Night, Lou. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Louise nods and then Dan’s alone in his room.

Dan calls for Olivia and requests his dinner.

Anyone who knows him, knows he doesn’t think well on an empty stomach. And he has _a lot_ to think about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: You guys enjoying it so far?? I hope you are! (And I’m sure Tori does too!) - Christy
> 
> Extra TW: Cheating.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by dxnhowell.
> 
> A/N: This is a chapter written in Phil’s POV. A majority of this fic is written from Dan’s POV so it was nice to switch it up a little, and I hope that you all enjoy it :)

“You’re going to burn a hole in that floor with all the pacing you’ve been doing, Philip.”

Phil looks over mid-pace and sees his uncle standing in the doorway. Phil frowns at that, because he hasn’t been expecting him. “How long have you been standing there for?” He finally stops pacing.

“Long enough,” he replies simply, walking further into the office. “Something on your mind?”

Phil sighs, and runs a hand through his hair. With everything going on with Dan lately, there’s been _a lot_ on his mind, and he’s done a lot of thinking. More than he’d like, but it’s necessary. His uncle certainly isn’t going to be happy when he tells him all that he’s been thinking about.

“Actually, yes… there is something on my mind,” Phil replies finally.

“I don’t think I like the sound of that,” his uncle crosses his arms against his chest, staring at Phil, but Phil doesn’t let that intimidate him. Growing up with his uncle, he’s learned a few things.

_Phil is twelve years old when he watches the King of Genovia give a speech for the first time ever. Usually, his uncle leaves him at home with the maids whenever he leaves to watch the king’s speeches or Genovian events. But, after begging all morning, his uncle finally agreed to letting him go with him to watch the king’s speech. Phil couldn’t be more excited._

_“Wow! All these people are here for him, uncle Vis?” Phil asks excitedly as he stands beside Viscount, while they’re watching from the crowd as the king gives a speech._

_“Yes, now hush up. The king is talking,” Viscount warns quietly. “Stand straight.”_

_Phil instantly does as he’s told, straightening himself up. He knows how important first impressions are, and he never wants to disappoint his uncle. Phil’s even wearing the nicest dress clothes he has. The maids had to dig deep into his closet to find his outfit, otherwise his uncle wouldn’t have let him come._

_Phil watches the king in awe. He’s never seen him in person before, so this is a big moment for Phil._

_“Thank you all for coming out today. Please, do get home safely,” the king says, finishing his speech._

_The crowd cheers once the speech finishes, and some people even try to run up to the podium, hoping to get a closer glimpse of the king or even talk to him. But, the guards keep them back._

_“Do you think I’ll be king one day, uncle Vis?” Phil asks as he walks back with his uncle._

_“I know you will be king one day,” Viscount replies, earning a smile from Phil._

_“Really?” Phil asks, bouncing on his feet excitedly._

_“Yes, Philip. I will make sure of it,” Viscount says, looking down at Phil with a stern look on his face. “When you’re much older, you will be Genovia’s king.”_

_“I’ll make a great king,” Phil says, sure of himself._

_That wouldn’t be the last time Phil hears his uncle talk about him becoming the next King of Genovia._

“Well, I don’t think you’re going to like what I’m about to tell you, but I’ve done a lot of thinking…”

“Does this happen to have something to do with the crown?” his uncle asks.

“Possibly,” Phil replies, biting his lip nervously. He has to be careful about how he goes about this, but his uncle isn’t going to be happy either way. “Like I said, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and…”

“If what you’re about to tell me has anything to do with you stepping down from the crown, then I do not want to hear it, boy. You are going to become the next King of Genovia, and I’ll make sure of that.”

“What makes you think I even want to be King?” Phil asks, starting to become frustrated. This is the first time that he’s ever gone against his uncle, but it’s time that he finally puts his foot down.

“That’s ridiculous,” Viscount scoffs. “Doesn’t want to be King. Are you even my nephew?”

“If I’m being honest, I don’t think I ever wanted to be the king. I only ever wanted to make you happy, and I’ve never thought about myself. But I think it’s time that I finally start doing that.”

“So, you’re just going to let some teenager who doesn’t even know what he’s doing become King?” Viscount asks, clearly disgusted with the thought of Dan being king. “The boy has no clue!”

“He will learn,” Phil argues. “Prince Daniel will be a wonderful king…”

“And since when did you become Prince Daniel’s number one fan?” Viscount asks angrily.

“I told you, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. Prince Daniel has gone through a lot to earn his spot as king, and it would be wrong of me to take it away from him. He wants it more than I do,” Phil argues.

“Pish posh. I think you’ve been taking crazy pills. We have always talked about you becoming king-”

“You have always talked about me becoming king. I do not want it.”

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were letting your feelings for the boy take over,” Viscount snaps. “Don’t give me that look, Philip. I’ve been watching, and I’m no fool.”

“My feelings towards Daniel have nothing to do with my not wanting the crown,” Phil glares. “Have you not been listening to a single word I’ve said? I never wanted the crown in the first place.”

“You’re not denying that you have feelings,” Viscounts points out, ignoring Phil’s statement.

Phil rolls his eyes. “You have no idea what I feel,” he mumbles.

Viscount scoffs, and makes his way over to Phil. “Listen to me,” he places his hand on Phil’s shoulder. “Prince Daniel will ruin Genovia if he becomes the king. You are a born Genovian. You know what’s right.”

“Exactly,” Phil agrees, gently pushing his uncle’s hands off of his shoulders, and taking a step back, knowing that he’ll have to talk to Dan immediately. “I know what’s right, and I know that Prince Daniel will indeed become the next great king of Genovia. Nothing you say will ever change my mind about that.”

“Philip-” Viscount begins, but Phil is already making his way towards the door. “Philip! Don’t ignore me! You best get back here, boy! I’m not finished-”

Phil drowns him out once he exits the office, determined to find Dan. He’s got to be somewhere…

Phil wanders around the castle, looking for Dan, until he finds a familiar blonde woman sitting alone at the table in the dining hall, petting the cat that he’s seen run around the castle before. 

“Ah, perfect-” Phil recognizes the woman. He’s seen her around Dan, assuming they’re friends.

The woman looks up, and glares when she sees Phil, but doesn’t say anything. That’s never a good sign. Phil’s never spoken a word to her and she already dislikes him? Phil clears his throat. “Sorry to interrupt. You’re Louise, correct? Uh, Dan’s friend?”

“Perhaps,” she replies, crossing her arms against her chest. “What do you want?”

“I was actually looking for Dan, and was hoping-”

“Why?” Louise demands.

“Uh-” Phil blinks. “I just- I need to talk to him about something important.”

“Talk?” Louise scoffs, before standing up. “Or do you mean kiss him again?”

Phil eyes widen at that. “H- How do you know about that?”

“Please. I’m Dan’s best friend. He tells me _everything_ ,” she says. “I do not appreciate you kissing my best friend when he’s already betrothed to another man, by the way. Do you have any idea the kind of damage you’ve caused?”

Phil clears his throat again, suddenly feeling awkward. Somehow this woman makes him feel more intimidated than his uncle makes him feel. “Right,” he says. “I’m sorry? Uh… Look, I really need to talk to Dan. Like, actually talk to him. Please, do you have any idea where I might find him?”

Louise stares at him, before letting out a sigh of defeat. “He’s out in the courtyard.”

“Thank you, Miss,” Phil says before quickly turning and heading towards the courtyard, where he hopes he’ll find Dan easily. Which he does; he finds Dan practicing archery. Phil slowly makes his way towards the courtyard, watching as Dan makes hit after hit. So, he’s gotten better since the last time he saw him. Phil waits a moment, before he makes his presence known. “You’re getting better.”

Dan stops as he’s getting ready to release another arrow, and looks over. He frowns when he sees Phil standing there. “You really just show up everywhere, don’t you? Are you following me or something?”

Phil chuckles. “Believe it or not, I came looking for you,” he admits.

Dan blinks a few times, surprised to hear that. “You were looking for me? Why?”

“I need to talk to you about the crown,” Phil tells him.

Dan sighs and places the bow and arrow on the ground before giving Phil his full attention. “The crown?”

“Yes,” Phil confirms. Dan seems to be upset, though Phil can understand why, given the last time they saw each other. The kiss threw Dan off-guard. It even threw Phil himself for a loop, and he’s the one who initiated the kiss. “Yes, the crown. Look, I’ll be honest with you… I don’t want the crown.”

Dan seems really surprised at that. “Pardon?”

“I never wanted the crown. It’s just something that my uncle and I always talked about. He always told me one day I would be the king of Genovia. So, when we heard that you were the next in line for the throne, we knew that we had to act. I was just doing what I thought would make my uncle happy.”

Dan frowns. “But, you seemed so determined to become king before?”

“Yeah, well… with everything going on, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. A lot of thinking. Seriously. I gave myself a headache the other day. It was horrible,” Phil says, and he smiles when he hears Dan giggle, because it’s the most adorable sound he’s ever heard. “So, um, just to let you know, I’m stepping down, and I don’t want anything to do with becoming king. My uncle may say otherwise, but I will not act on it.”

“Wow,” Dan says, his jaw dropped slightly from being so shocked. “That’s… wow.”

Phil chuckles. “Wow? That’s all you have to say?”

“I mean,” Dan clears his throat. “What else am I supposed to say? Thank you?”

“I don’t know,” Phil shrugs his shoulders. “Just thought you’d have a bit more of a reaction than that.”

Dan shakes his head. “I’m shocked. I am. I mean, yeah… thank you, and uh, thanks for coming to tell me that. I really appreciate it, and I’m sure my grandma will be pleasantly surprised to hear this.”

“My uncle thinks otherwise, but I think you will make a great king,” Phil tells him.

“Yeah, well… you seem to be one of the few people who think that these days,” Dan mumbles.

“Don’t listen to what those people say. They think they know everything,” Phil says.

“Technically they do know everything, otherwise they wouldn’t be the ones making the rules,” Dan scoffs. “Well, unfortunately, even if you don’t want the throne, I still have to get married.”

“Speaking of, uh… about the kiss-” Phil begins, but Dan quickly holds up a hand.

“That cannot happen again,” Dan warns, his tone serious.

“Oh. It can’t?” Phil asks, quite disappointed to hear Dan say that. He knows Dan’s engaged, but he thought for sure Dan felt the same way towards him. Apparently, he’s wrong about that.

“Phil, I’m engaged, and I plan to stay loyal to Pj from here on out,” Dan says, sighing softly. “The kiss… yeah, it happened, and there’s nothing I can do about that. But I can stop it from happening again.”

“Be honest. Are you really attracted to Pj like you say you are?” Phil asks.

“Yes,” Dan replies, rather quickly, which doesn’t help Phil. “I am attracted to him. Pj is wonderful and he will also make a great king. I may not be in love with him at this moment, but maybe one day.”

“Well, okay then, if that’s the case… then I’ve said all I needed to say. Thank you for listening,” Phil says, not wanting to push the subject any further, because even though he does have feelings towards Dan and he _wanted_ to talk to him, he does not want to push the subject any further. He actually does want to stay on good terms with Dan. After all, Dan will be the king of Genovia.

“That’s it?” Dan asks, blinking a few times. “That’s all you wanted to say?”

“You’ve made your point very clear,” Phil says. “I just wanted to tell you how I felt about the crown and how my uncle will surely still make it seem like I want it, but I don’t. I also wanted to talk to you about the kiss, and we did that. Nothing more. Nothing less.”

Dan slowly nods. “O- Okay then. Yeah. Uh, thanks. I’ve got to get back to practicing,” he points towards the bow and arrow on the ground and looks up at Phil. “You know, the big day is coming up very soon and I need to be one hundred percent ready,” he says. “If that’ll be all.”

“Of course. Good evening,” Phil says, bowing lightly, before turning. He walks up the stairs, as Louise is making her way out with Fat Louie in her arms. “Hello again. What’s his name?”

“Fat Louie,” Louise replies, blinking a few times as she stares at Phil.

“Odd name for a cat,” Phil says.

Louise glares at him. “Not as odd as Philip with one l.”

“It’s cooler,” Phil retorts, before walking away.

Louise looks over at Dan, who seems just as confused as she is. “What the hell was that all about?”

“Honestly…” Dan begins. “I have absolutely no idea.”

Louise walks closer to Dan, and gently places Fat Louie on the ground. “He didn’t try anything?”

“No,” Dan chuckles at Louise’s protectiveness. “He just wanted to talk. It was… weird. Nice, but weird.”

“Hm,” Louise hums in response. “He did seem desperate to talk to you.”

Dan frowns slightly as he looks over at Louise. “Were you listening to our conversation, Louise?”

“I would never do such a thing!” Louise gasps playfully, placing a hand over her chest, which makes Dan laugh. “But, I actually didn’t. Phil actually found me first and asked me if I knew where you were.”

“Oh no. Please tell me you didn’t say anything to him,” Dan groans. He can’t even begin to imagine the horrid things Louise would say to Phil, especially given the recent events between the two of them.

“I might have,” Louise says, smiling innocently. “But you’ll never know.”

Dan rolls his eyes, and then he bends down to pick up the bow and arrow. “You’ll be the death of me,”

“Oh _I’ll_ be the death of you?” Louise smirks.

Dan glares at her. “Shut it, and quit distracting me! I need to practice. I’ve only got a week left!”

Louise snorts. “I think I’ll sit and watch. Critique you,” she says, placing herself at one of the tables.

“Whatever. As long as you’re quiet. I don’t need any more distractions,” Dan mumbles.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by Christy (rainbowchristy).
> 
> A/N: Oh wow this has come around quickly, we’re already on the second last chapter!! I hope you’re enjoying it so far! (I imagine you are if you’ve stuck with us this long :D ) - Christy
> 
> TW: Talk of death during childbirth. And another one in endnotes to avoid spoilers.

Dan’s having a sleepover with Louise when it happens.

He doesn’t notice it at first. He hears it, but thinks the rocks on the window are from the movie on the screen. It’s not until one rock misses the window and hits him that he realises the rocks are, in fact, very real.

“What the-” he says, staring at the rock incredulously.

Louise reaches for the remote to pause the movie as she, too, spots the rock.

“Why?” Dan asks, turning to Louise. Another rock hits the window, causing Louise to jump in surprise.

“And here I was thinking it was people trying to shoot Deadpool,” Louise says, laughing.

Dan cracks a smile at the joke but furrows his eyebrows as he looks back at the rock.

Louise nudges him. “I think someone wants your attention,” she says, nodding towards the window as another rock flies through the open balcony door and onto the floor.

Dan watches it tumble to a stop and nods to himself. “I’ll be right back.”

He stands up and heads for the balcony. He sighs audibly when he sees who’s there.

“What do you want?” he asks, annoyed that his movie night was interrupted.

Phil smiles. “O, speak again, bright angel! For thou art as glorious to this night.”

Dan instantly recognises his words, Romeo and Juliet being one of the books Clarisse wants him to read to prepare for the crown. The scene Phil’s quoting is one of his favourites, even if it is cliche.

Despite all this, though, he scoffs.

“I am not doing this,” he says flatly, rolling his eyes. “You want me to say ‘Romeo, oh, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?”

Phil shrugs. “Ideally, yeah.”

“Deny thy father and refuse thy name. Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, and I’ll no longer be a Capulet,” Dan quotes sarcastically, trying to keep the smile of his face as Phil grins.

He’s not trying to ‘stir the pot’, as Louise would say. He’s simply messing with Phil. He feels he deserves it after all the stuff Phil’s put him through since he arrived in Genovia.

“What man art thou that thus bescreen’d in night so stumblest on my counsel?” Dan asks next.

“By a name I know not how to tell thee who I am. My name, dear saint, is hateful to myself because it is an enemy to thee. Had I it written, I would tear the word.”

“My ears have not yet drunk a hundred words of that tongue's utterance, yet I know the sound. Art thou not Romeo and a Montague?” Dan pauses. “Um, art thou not Philip and a Lester?” he suggests, causing both himself and Phil to laugh.

“Neither, fair saint, if either thee dislike.”

Dan rolls his eyes, finally having enough with the little game.

“Seriously, Phil. What do you want?”

“What I crave is thou take a simple walk with me,” Phil says, kicking a rock by his foot.

Dan’s eyes widen at his words.

“I thought I explicitly stated I want to remain loyal to Pj.”

“A walk is nothing more than platonic.”

Dan scowls, knowing Phil would not think of it platonically at all. But perhaps Dan should give him this one thing. Maybe Dan needs to go on a completely innocent walk with Phil so he could finally get it into his head that him and Dan will never be a thing.

“And what do I get out of it?” Dan asks, playing hard-to-get. He doesn’t want Phil to think he’s sitting around waiting for Phil to appear with cliche quotes all day.

“Fresh air and exercise?” Phil suggests. “And I’ll show you the secret hideout I found in the gardens.”

Dan rolls his eyes. “I may be the laziest person on the planet, but you’ve intrigued me.”

Dan sees Phil smile and feels bad. He’s well aware how Phil feels about him at this point. And though he’d never admit it, especially to Phil, he had feelings too.

He berates himself for that thought. He has feelings for Phil, that much is true. But his feelings for Pj are stronger. Not to mention Pj is his literal fiancé. Dan needs to remain loyal if he wants to make a good husband and king.

“Where are you going?” Louise asks, coming outside to see what’s taking Dan so long.

Dan cringes, knowing she won’t be happy. “Phil wants to go on a walk,” he says quietly so Phil can’t hear.

Her eyes widen at that and she pulls Dan back inside.

“You can’t be serious,” she says. Dan shrugs. “Dan, tell me you’re not serious.”

“What? It’s a completely innocent walk. Nothing’s going to happen.”

Louise sighs. “Dan, you can’t tell me you honestly believe this is a good idea.”

Dan shrugs. “I’m not sure. But he seems genuine. And maybe doing this will make it clear to him that I don’t want to date him.”

“Or maybe he’ll kidnap you and you’ll never see Pj or your precious crowns again.”

Dan rolls his eyes. “I don’t think Phil’s going to kidnap me. But if he does, maybe I can get the sympathy vote from the higher ups and they won’t hate me when I become king.”

“Yeah,” Louise says, laughing. “I’m sure Viscount will be all ‘oh I’m sorry my nephew kidnapped you, here’s the crown’.”

“Phil doesn’t want the crown,” Dan says, informing Louise of something Dan had accidentally kept to himself.

“He what?” she asks, obviously wanting clarification.

“He said he didn’t want to be king anymore. The crown’s all mine once I marry Pj.”

It’s at that moment that another rock flies through the window, hitting the back of his shin.

He walks back out onto the balcony, Louise hot on his tail.

“Watch it or I won’t be able to go on that walk,” he says to Phil.

Phil smiles apologetically before taking a step back when he spots Louise.

“Um,” he says awkwardly.

“I’ve got my eye on you, _Philip_ ,” she says, mocking his name.

Phil stands tall and salutes, making Dan giggle a little.

Louise turns to him and sighs. “I really don’t think this is a good idea, but you’re obviously set in your decision.”

Dan nods to confirm what she suspected.

She closes her eyes to think, before looking at Dan again. “I’ll cover for you.”

Dan grins and hugs her tightly. “Thanks, Lou. I won’t be long, promise. And we can watch twice as many movies tomorrow night to make up for it!”

“Damn right we will,” Louise says, laughing.

“I’m getting lonely down here,” Phil interrupts. Louise picks up a pebble on the balcony and throws it back down at Phil.

“Be good,” she warns, reaching for another pebble.

“Dan, get down here quick before your friend pebbles me to death.”

Dan laughs and starts for the vines beside the balcony. He can’t go through his bedroom door because his guards are there and he’s meant to be asleep.

“You deserve to be hit a few times for hitting me,” Dan says despite making his way down to Phil.

He steps up onto the railing and wobbles a little as he grabs the vines. He realises quickly how terrible the idea is but knows it’s too late to back out now. Not only would Louise tease him for being a wimp, but Phil is also there.

Dan realises abruptly that he cares about what Phil thinks of him. In true Dan style, the realisation comes as he steps off the balcony and begins hanging from the surprisingly strong vines.

“Careful,” Louise says, suddenly panicking.

She drops the pebble she was holding threateningly at Phil and rushes over to support Dan on his way down.

Lucky, Dan’s chambers are on the first floor, meaning he doesn’t have to traverse far to reach the ground. He gets about halfway down the wall when the branch he was resting most of his weight on snaps suddenly and he falls.

“Dan!” Louise shouts as Phil runs over to help Dan.

“Are you okay?” Phil asks, reaching through the bushes to pull Dan out.

Dan rubs the arm that he landed on and thanks the universe for not breaking it. That would not have been a fun story to explain to his grandma.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he says. He hears Louise sigh from above and he looks up at her. “I’ll be fine from here, Lou.”

She nods, though she looks weary. She turns to Phil.

“Dan will tell me if you do anything. And I mean _anything_. So don’t even think about it. Got it?”

Phil nods, looking actually scared which makes Dan laugh.

“She’s all talk, don’t worry,” he tells Phil.

Phil nods as Louise points at her eyes before pointing at Phil, silently saying _I’m watching you_.

“Come on,” Dan says, grabbing Phil’s wrist and pulling him away from Louise.

He’s not exactly sure what Phil wants. But he knows this walk will not have the outcome he wants if Louise is threatening him the whole time. He wants Phil to get over him on his own, not because Dan’s best friend is threatening him.

“So, where’s this secret hideout?” Dan asks, letting go on Phil’s wrist once they’re out of Louise’s sight.

“It’s a secret,” Phil says, making Dan laugh.

“That only works for surprises. It won’t be a secret much longer ‘cause you’re taking me there.”

“Well surprises aren’t surprises for long either but people don’t say what the surprise is.”

Dan nods. “Yeah, I suppose.” After a pause, he continues. “You’re really not going to tell me?”

Phil laughs. “Nope! You’ll have to wait and see.”

“You’re not, like, gonna stab me, are you? ‘Cause that would be an unfortunate way for the future king to die.”

“Oh darn. You found out my plan,” Phil says, clearly teasing.

Dan shoves him lightly.

They walk alongside each other for another ten minutes before Phil stops.

“Wow, what an amazing bush. Is this the exciting ‘secret hideout’?” Dan asks, somewhat annoyed at getting his hopes up for an actually cool hideout.

Phil laughs at that. “No, here,” he says, pulling half of the bush aside for Dan to step though.

“Is there not a better way to get here?”

“There’s a path. But no true secret hideout has an easy entrance,” Phil answers, stepping through the bush himself. “Ouch,” he says, cupping his hand over his arm where he’d scrapped himself.

“See, this is why people have proper entrances to places!”

“I’m fine.” Dan looks at him for a few seconds longer before deciding that Phil’s words are true. Phil nods to a spot behind Dan. “Turn around,” he says.

Dan raises an eyebrow but does as he says. He gasps once he sees the area they’re in.

They’re by the lake, that much Dan knew from the trip. But he didn’t realise how close they’d gotten. They’re standing ten metres from the edge and there’s a tree just in front of him.

The tree is enchanting on its own. Phil’s covered it in fairy lights and it’s creating a wonderful atmosphere.

Dan’s eyes trail down the trunk and spot the blanket at the bottom. He bites his lip as he sees it. There’s a picnic basket resting on top of the blanket.

“Do you like it?” Phil whispers from next to Dan.

“It’s wonderful,” Dan says before pausing. “But, you realise this is a rather romantic spot, right?”

Phil blinks hard, which is enough for Dan to know he either didn’t realise or didn’t think Dan would catch on so quick.

He clears his throat. “I know you’re engaged to Pj, and I respect you for your choice to stay loyal to him. I’m not happy about it, but I understand why you chose that.”

Dan turns to Phil, no longer in awe at the scene. “Why do I feel like there’s a ‘but’ coming next?”

Phil sighs and swallows. “Can I please just have this one night. I’ll never ask anything of you again. Heck, I’ll never even look at you if that’s what you want.”

“You want me to go on a date with you when I’m getting married in less than a week?” Dan asks, admiring Phil’s boldness despite his shock.

Dan had thought Phil would completely back off once they’d talked during Dan’s archery practice days ago. Phil had even packed up and moved out of the castle as a show of respect.

“Please,” Phil says then, taking Dan from his thoughts.

He’s not going to lie. He’s attracted to Phil. He’s admitted that before. But acting on those feelings is surely a terrible idea. He knows that. And yet, one innocent date with Phil sounds so tempting.

It’s not like anyone would ever have to know. He could give this to Phil, and to himself, to be honest, and no one would ever be none the wiser.

Dan swallows. Half of his brain is shouting to just walk away right then and there. To not be stupid and to respect his and Pj’s commitment to each other.

The other half is saying that one small date wouldn’t hurt anyone. And that he deserves to do something for himself when he will be married to Pj for the rest of his life.

Dan closes his eyes, scared of the words he’s about to say.

“Okay.”

Phil lights up, which Dan only sees once he opens his eyes again.

“One date. No more, no less. Then I want you to never mention us being together ever again. To me or anyone else. Do we have a deal?” Dan says, laying out his conditions for this ‘date’.

He holds out his hand for Phil to shake, which he does.

“Deal.”

“Great.” Dan claps his hands. “Now, what does this date entail?”

“Come, sit,” Phil says.

He leads Dan to the blanket and sits them both down. Phil opens the lid to the basket and pulls out a bottle.

“I hope ribena is okay. I know you can’t drink yet and Louise said it was your favourite.”

“You asked her about my favorite drink?” Dan asks.

He accepts the wine glass offered to him and Phil pours the drink.

Phil laughs. “No. I don’t think she’d tell me anyway. She’d probably call me a creep or something.”

“Probably.”

“She just mentioned it in passing once when I asked why she was carrying a massive bottle of ribena to your room.”

Dan blushes. “I like ribena, okay?” He says, trying to defend himself.

“It tastes good.”

Dan hums as he takes a sip. “You know, ribena is like a fancy imported wine here. Genovia doesn’t make ribena so Grandma has it imported from the UK just for me.”

“When you're king, you could make all the ribena factories you want.”

“I don’t think Genovia has the right type of climate. The nights are too warm.”

Phil nods and opens the lid again to take out some mini sandwiches.

“Okay, spoiler alert. I didn’t make these. I can’t cook to save my life.”

Dan laughs. “I used to cook all the time,” he says, before looking down, “with my mum.”

Phil nudges him. “You miss her?”

Dan nods. “It’s weird. Being away from her and all. Like, I’m an adult now, I can do things on my own. But she was all I had for the first seventeen years of my life.”

“I never met my mum. She died while giving birth to me so I’ve always lived with my aunt and uncle. Sometimes it feels like I’m missing a piece of myself. I never knew her, but I know kinda how you’re feeling.”

Dan gently takes Phil’s hand to comfort him. “I’m sorry,” he says.

Phil shakes his head. “No, don’t be. Tonight I have to be happy. It’s the only date I’ll ever get with him.”

Dan looks down at their joined hands and debates letting go now that Phil doesn’t sound so sad. He wants to, and he knows he should, but something inside him won’t let him.

Phil catches him looking and looks down himself, squeezing Dan’s hand in his.

They sit in silence for a few minutes, eating.

“I, um,” Phil starts, before stopping.

“You what?”

Phil sighs. “I brought my phone.”

Dan tilts his head. “Me too.”

He shakes his head and sighs again. “I thought maybe we could dance together. But it’s stupid,”

“It’s not stupid,” Dan says.

Phil seems surprised by Dan’s words. “Are you saying you want to dance with me?”

Dan, who had just taken a sip of ribena, choaks. “I’m not saying I _want_ to, but I’m not opposed to it. If you want to then I don’t see the harm. We’re already on a date, anyway.”

Phil stands up without a word and holds his hand out to Dan.

“Well come on then,” he says.

Dan takes his hand and stands up. Phil picks a song and presses play. It’s a song familiar to Dan but he can’t put a name to it, which is a little frustrating.

Phil takes Dan’s hand and rests his other on Dan’s hip. Dan places his spare hand on Phil’s shoulder.

They slowly step around the small area.

“What song is this?” Dan says quietly so as not to disrupt the serene environment they’ve created.

“I don’t know the name, it’s something Latin. But it’s the song we danced to at your party.”

Dan nods and rests his head on Phil’s shoulder.

“You found out what song we danced to at the party?” he asked.

Phil chuckles, which Dan feels through the cheek pressed against Phil.

“I did.”

By the time the next song starts, they’re slow dancing instead of ballroom dancing. Dan’s got his head on Phil’s shoulder and Phil’s resting his head on Dan’s. They’re arms are wrapped around each other.

Dan recognises the next song as _Youth_ by Troye Sivan and he smiles unconsciously.

Pj wasn’t a fan when Dan introduced him to the musician. The idea that Phil likes the same music as him relit the kindle in his chest that he’d almost snuffed out.

Dan looks up at Phil as the song starts to close. He notices Phil look down at his lips before meeting his eyes again.

Dan swallows hard. He shouldn’t be doing this. But at the same time, it feels so right.

Phil lets go of Dan’s waist and lightly touches the underside of his chin, tilting Dan’s head up.

His breath catches as Phil does this. He’s not sure if he should pull away and call it quits, or if he should rush in and kiss Phil like he’s dying to do.

Phil moves slowly, giving Dan plenty of time to step back if he’s taking it too far. Dan doesn’t though. And a few seconds later, Phil’s lips are on Dan’s.

He doesn’t panic this time. And he definitely doesn’t fall into a fountain alongside Phil.

This time, it feels right. Even if somewhere in the back of Dan’s mind, he knows its wrong wrong _wrong_.

They don’t kiss for long, and it’s nothing more than lips on lips. Unlike their kiss at the fountain, no ‘spell’ is broken.

They pull away from each other, and return to dancing as the next song comes on.

They dance for another half hour or so, simply moving with each other. They sit, though, when Dan stands on Phil’s foot.

“Haven’t you done enough of that?” Phil teases.

Dan blushes. “Shut up,” he says, though there’s no heat behind his words.

They take a seat on the blanket again. Only this time, Phil’s leaning against the tree and Dan’s sitting beside him, resting on Phil’s side with Phil’s arm around him.

In the morning, he’ll say it’s his half asleep brain. But even if that’s his claim, he’ll know the truth: that he just wants to be close to Phil.

Dan doesn’t remember falling asleep. He remembers Phil rambling about something and occasionally kissing his head.

After that, the next thing he remembers is opening his eyes, realising his head is on Phil’s thigh and sitting up, and noticing the sun is high up in the sky.

Dan’s eyes go wide despite his pupils protesting at the bright light. He turns to see Phil, who’s only just waking up too.

He looks around before rubbing his eyes.

“We stayed out all night.”

Dan laughs and relaxes. Sure, this is not a good situation. Far from it, really. But it’s Phil. And Phil’s not Dan’s enemy anymore. He has no reason not to trust Phil now that he doesn’t want the crown.

“We did,” Dan agrees, stretching and laying back down against Phil.

He’s about to close his eyes again when he spots some rusting from across the lake. Sure enough, when he takes a proper look, the boat by the shore is rocking.

“There’s someone in that boat,” he says, looking back at Phil. “Look.”

Phil follows Dan’s point and sees the boat.

“It’s probably just a fisherman or something. We aren’t technically on palace grounds here.”

Dan nods but keeps his eye on the boat. It’s not till the man appears that Dan realises he’s made a terrible mistake.

“A fisherman with a big fancy-ass photography camera?” he asks Phil.

“What?” Phil says then, and Dan glowers.

“You’re really low,” Dan says, scrunching up the blanket on top of him and standing up.

“What? No, Dan, wait-” Phil starts to say but Dan’s already up and pushing his way back through the bushes.

“You know, it’s a real shame he didn’t get juicer stuff last night,” Dan says, before adding, “you jerk!”

“Dan, Dan. That’s not my boat.”

Dan scoffs. “A likely story!”

“Dan, please,” Phil tries, grabbing Dan’s wrist.

Dan pulls himself free from Phil’s grip instantly.

“Don’t touch me,” he says, deathly serious.

“Please, just listen.”

“I think I’ve listened to you plenty.”

Dan can feel himself getting frustrated and he knows he has to get away from Phil before he starts crying.

“Just leave me alone.”

“Dan-”

“I said,” Dan says, louder now. “Leave. Me. Alone!”

Dan turns and runs off, leaving a stunned Phil behind. He isn’t followed, thankfully. Phil at least has the courtesy to respect his wishes after he’s got the dirt on him that he needs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Ooh juicy! Will Phil make up for his mistake?? Or is it all over between them? Dun dun dun!!
> 
> Extra TW: Cheating.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by Christy (rainbowchristy).
> 
> TW: Kissing without consent, swearing.

“I’ll kill him! I will! That little-”

“Louise.”

“What?”

“Calm down.”

Louise huffs out a breath and sits back down. She’s been up pacing since Dan started telling her what happened.

“How am I supposed to calm down?” she asks, annoyed but, thankfully, a little more calm. “This is your future, Dan, and he’s messing with it.”

Dan shakes his head, not really sure what he’s supposed to say to justify either his or Phil’s actions. He’s noticed the stages of grief in both of them.

For Dan, it starts when he gets to his chambers and lies in bed, stoic. He’s not upset, but he’s certainly unsure what to do. There’s no way what just happened was real.

He doesn’t stay in denial for long. He’s angry before anyone even knows he’s back in his rooms. He gets out of bed and starts shouting into the empty room. He’s frustrated and scared. Phil has just single-handedly destroyed his future and he’s pissed.

Not an hour later, he starts bargaining. If he does this, then maybe no one will know. Or, if people already know, he can do that and remedy his actions.

He realises quickly after, that questioning whether people know or not is pointless. It’s the press. Pictures of him and Phil will be in every single newspaper by now. Everyone will know. And they’re already unsure if he can rule. Now that he’s caught cheating on his fiancé, they’re going to be sure he can’t remain loyal to Genovia.

He climbs back into bed at that point. But instead of being numb, he’s sobbing. He’s stressed and scared and has entirely no idea what to do.

Louise comes in shortly after, clearly apprehensive to learn what they did out on their walk. Once she sees Dan crying though, she knows something serious has happened.

See, Dan’s not a crier. He gets stressed and panicked but he never cries.

“Dan! What’s happened?” she asks desperately.

It’s while Dan’s explaining what happened that he finally accepts it.

He starts by explaining where they went. And Dan doesn’t even have to say it was a date for her to know.

She’s instantly in denial, all ‘no, you didn’t’ and ‘I can’t believe that happened’.

She’s angry next. But Dan calms her down quickly and then she’s bargaining just like Dan had.

“Maybe if we talk to him then he’ll make a statement saying it wasn’t real.”

“Lou.”

“Or maybe he can say it was photoshopped. We should find out if the press hires photoshop people.”

“Lou.”

“Or maybe-”

“Louise!”

She stops talking.

“It’s too late. It’ll be published by now.”

She shakes her head. “No, it’s not. We can still fix this.”

“There’s nothing to fix,” Dan whispers.

That gets Louise’s attention.

“What do you mean ‘there’s nothing to fix’? There’s heaps to fix.”

Dan shakes his head, unable to form words. Thankfully, he doesn’t have to, as Louise catches on to what he’s thinking.

She sighs through her nose and closes her eyes. “Please don’t tell me you like him.”

Dan winces at how much hatred she put into the word ‘him’.

“I can’t help it,” he says calmly.

He’s anything but calm. But he’s accepted what’s happened and that there’s nothing he can do to remedy it. He’s accepted that he really does like Phil. And he’s accepted that he can’t stay loyal to Pj because of his feelings for Phil. Even if the man left the palace grounds, Dan would still want to be with him instead of Pj.

The thought of that kills him inside. He wants to remain loyal to Pj. He really does. But he’s not sure he can keep his thoughts from straying to Phil.

He knows he can’t fake his heart. He can’t fake the fluttery feeling in his chest when he sees Phil across the garden. Or when he remembers that Phil is giving up the crown so that Dan can have what he wants.

He knows he can’t fake his mind either. Pj’s a wonderful person. Dan’s well aware of how lucky he is to have not only met him, but to have gotten engaged to him. Pj’s kind and funny and attractive, everything Phil is and more.

Dan knows this. Which is why he’s at war with himself. His heart wants Phil, he can tell that much without any thought. But his brain is telling him to stay with Pj. That Pj will make a wonderful king and that Dan can trust him to not betray him.

“Dan,” Louise says, squatting in front of Dan and resting her hands on his knees, half for balance and half to comfort him.

Dan nods for her to continue when she keeps waiting.

“You can’t help who you like, okay?”

Dan nods again.

“You have no control over it. And if you really like Phil more than Pj, you need to listen to that feeling and follow it.”

“But I’ll never be able to trust Phil not to want my crown.”

She sighs. “I get that, Dan, I really do. But it also shouldn’t matter. When you love someone, it doesn’t matter if you have conflicting desires. And it’s clear he loves you.”

Dan shakes his head.

“What if Matt wanted to kill puppies? That’s a conflicting desire.”

Louise laughs. “I think killing puppies is pretty different to wanting a crown. Besides, Phil has said he never wanted the crown.”

“Why are you suddenly so for-Phil?”

“I’m not. Personally, I would stay with Pj if I were you. But I’m not you. It’s not my life I’m affecting. And you’re my best friend. I want you to be happy. And if that means dating Phil, then I’m not going to tell you not to.”

Dan looks down at his knees.

“You’re a good friend, you know that?”

She smiles. “Thank you, Dan. I try. But also, stop trying to change the subject.”

Dan squeezes his eyes shut. “I’m not sure who to go with.”

“Your brain and heart are telling you different things?”

Dan nods and Louise stands to sit on the couch.

“Well, I can’t decide for you, Dan. You have to live with these decisions for the rest of your life. And that sounds stressful as hell.”

Dan laughs. “Can confirm. V stressful.”

“I think you need to talk to Pj. Whether you stay with him or not, he deserves to know what’s going on. And maybe he can help you make up your mind.”

Dan nods.

“Yeah, probably.”

“What about your grandma?” Louise asks after a pause.

Dan gapes and hits his forehead.

“I forgot about her,” he admits. “I don’t know. I really don’t want her to know at all but at the same time there’s no way she won’t find out.”

“She probably already knows,” Louise informs unhelpfully.

Dan cringes. “I don’t want to run into her.”

“Me either. For you or me. She’s scary when she’s mad.”

“I must get that from her,” Dan says.

Louise laughs. “Please. You’re the least mad person I know. You just panic and hide.”

Dan swats at her, offended even though he knows it’s true.

~~~~

“Pj! Hey!” Dan calls, getting his fiancé’s attention.

Pj turns around and smiles when he sees Dan.

“Hey.”

“I’ve been looking for you,” Dan says.

“Me too, actually. I came around to your chambers last night but Louise said you’d gone out.”

Dan’s eyes widen slightly but he schools himself back into a neutral ‘I’m not guilty of anything’ expression.

“Yeah, I, uh, went on a late night walk.”

“You should have called me to come with you. I love walking in the gardens at night.”

“I know you do,” Dan says. “I, um, kinda wanted to talk to you about that, actually.”

“About my love for nightly walks?”

“No, no. About my walk last night.”

Pj tilts his head. “Did something happen?”

Dan looks down and whispers, “Yes.”

Pj stares at him for a few seconds until it clicks.

“No, you didn’t.”

“I swear I didn’t initiate it,” Dan says quickly, trying to make this not as bad as it clearly is.

“Who?” Pj asks. He sounds mad, and Dan’s never heard him sound mad. Pj’s a calm person who’s not easy to make angry.

“Phil.”

Dan knows he’s fucked up when Pj turns and walks off without a word.

“Pj! Pj wait!” Dan calls, chasing after him.

Pj doesn’t stop or listen to Dan. He simply keeps walking.

“Please!”

Pj’s out the door before Dan has a chance to continue but that doesn’t deter Dan. He gets to the stop of the steps where Pj is already halfway down.

“Peter James! Listen to me!” Dan says and, funnily enough, he actually does stop.

Dan meets him at the intermittent landing where Pj steps back up to.

“I promise you nothing happened,” Dan says.

Pj sighs. “But that doesn’t change the fact that you went.”

Dan opens his mouth to speak but Pj cuts in again.

“I don’t think you understand, Dan. I’ve got plenty of friends who I’m sure wouldn’t mind dating me. I know for a fact one of them likes me,” he says before pausing to collect his thoughts. He’s speaking too quickly. “But I’ve never done anything with him. I told him I was engaged and that nothing could or would ever happen between him and I.”

Dan looks down, guilty.

“And I still think this marriage is a good idea, despite all of this.”

Dan looks up at that.

Pj huffs out a breath. “Dan,” he says.

Dan doesn’t get a chance to reply as Pj is stepping forward and grabbing Dan’s head to kiss him. His eyes blow wide and he’s in shock. They hadn’t kissed yet, despite their wedding being literally tomorrow.

Dan doesn’t respond to the kiss, simply looking off to the side and standing completely still.

When Pj pulls away, his hands travel down Dan’s sides and rest on his upper arms, keeping him still.

Dan sighs and awkwardly wipes his mouth before smiling politely at Pj.

“So, did you feel anything at all?” he asks awkwardly. He removes his hands and takes a small step back.

Dan closes his eyes briefly. “Look, I really want to say yes. I really do. But there’s just no- no, spark.”

Pj sighs and runs a hand through his hair. Dan feels guilty but then Pj smiles and looks at him.

“Me too,” he says, and Dan tilts his head in confusion.

“Really?” he asks.

Pj chuckles. “Really,” he confirms. “I mean, it was pleasant-”

“Very pleasant,” Dan agrees.

“-But there’s just no, like,”

“Fireworks,” Dan says, finishing his sentence.

“Fireworks,” Pj repeats.

Dan sighs and turns to look at the garden.

“What are we going to do?” he says.

Pj walks up to him and stands next to him.

“Dan, you chose me and I accepted. I’m not going to back out on my word.”

“But-”

Pj puts his hand up to stop Dan. He doesn’t continue though. Dan turns around to see where Pj’s looking and sees two guards making they’re way down the stairs.

“No privacy,” Dan says, laughing a little.

“None,” Pj agrees, smiling. “Listen. Tomorrow, we’re going to walk into that chapel and say ‘I do’. By tomorrow night, we’ll be husbands. And you’ll make an amazing king of Genovia.”

Dan looks down. “With you beside me?” he asks, unsure.

Pj nods. “With me beside you.”

Dan smiles and leans into Pj. He pecks Pj on the cheek before hugging him.

“Thank you,” Dan says.

Pj rubs his back.

“You’re welcome.”

~~~~

“Daniel James Howell!” Dan hears his grandma say.

He feels himself subconsciously shrink in on himself. She sounds beyond pissed. Dan doesn’t doubt she’s just seen the newspapers.

“Yes?” he asks, smiling sheepishly.

“What have you done?”

Dan swallows. “Grandma, I know how it looks-”

“I’d be surprised if you didn’t,” she says sternly.

“But nothing happened. We didn’t do anything.”

Clarisse huffs out a breath. “Daniel, you’re on thin ice as it is. Do not be caught lying about this.”

“I’m not-”

“The papers clearly show you and Phil sleeping together.”

Dan’s eyes widen as be blushes. “We didn’t!” he says quickly.

A newspaper is shoved in his face and Dan looks at it quickly to see how much photoshop was done if it looks like they’re sleeping together.

He sighs and laughs though, when he notices no photoshop. “Grandma, sleeping together means having sex.”

Her eyes widen then. “Did you?”

“Of course not!”

Clarisse sighs and shakes her head. “This is not the time for more of your colloquial British, Daniel. You’re to be married tomorrow morning. I will not tolerate this.”

“Grandma-”

“Daniel, listen. It’s rude to interrupt. You are to be married to Peter James tomorrow and I will hear none of this Phil business. This is your future, Daniel. You cannot keep disrupting it.”

“I know,” Dan says, hoping to calm her.

“No. I won’t hear it. You-” she stops herself from ranting. “I’m sorry. What did you say just now?”

Dan laughs. Clarisse always listens carefully to what’s said. For her to not pay attention, Dan knows she’s riled up.

“I said I know. I talked to Pj and we agree getting married is still the best course of action.”

Clarisse blinks and closes her mouth once she realises it’s dropped open.

“Well then. That’s perfect. I was never too fond of Philip. He’s always rubbed me the wrong way.”

Dan wants to correct her, to tell her Phil’s not what she thinks. But instead, he takes the newspaper and holds it up.

“What do we do about this, though?”

“With the wedding tomorrow, I think it best we ignore it. After your coronation, you can announce what you and Pj choose to the public. However, right now, you cannot afford any more mishaps.”

“But wouldn’t explaining what actually happened be better?”

“Daniel, trust me. The press will run with anything you say. It is better to stay out of the spotlight until after the coronation.”

Dan nods, understanding where she’s coming from.

“Do you believe me when I say nothing happened?”

Clarisse sighs. “I believe you more than the press, that much is true. But I also know you’ve been trailing after Phil since your birthday. Photos do not lie, Daniel. You lay with him and you appear to be acting rather romantic.”

“Lying with someone also means sex, just so you know.”

“Why were you there, Daniel? Do you desire Philip?”

Dan sighs, knowing he shouldn’t lie to his grandma.

“I do like Phil. I can’t help it. But Pj and I are still getting married. Phil, he likes me too. He just wanted one date with me before I got married. I know I should have declined, but my heart wanted that date just as much as Phil’s did.”

Clarisse nods. “I understand, Daniel. Believe it or not, there was another man in my life before the king. I gave up my love for my familial obligations. You must do the same.”

“I am doing the same.”

“I know.” Clarisse pauses to sigh. “I’m proud of you, Daniel.”

“Thanks, Grandma.”

Clarisse opens her arms for a hug and Dan accepts.

“You’ll make a great king, Daniel. You just need to stop making silly mistakes.”

~~~~

Dan blinks his eyes open and instantly he sighs.

“I’m getting married today,” he tells himself.

He doesn’t stay in bed long. It’s already eight o’clock and the wedding is at midday.

Olivia and Amelia bring breakfast in while he’s in the shower. He sits down and eats.

“What is on my to-do list today?” he asks them.

“First, you must visit the royal taylors as they have finalised your outfit. Then you will return here for Paolo to style your hair and complete any necessary touch ups. The cake is being prepared as we speak, and the floral arrangements are arriving soon. After finishing with Paolo, you will need to view the chapel and provide any final detail changes. After that, you are free to complete any personal wedding day rituals you may have.”

Dan nods. “Thank you, Olivia.”

She nods politely and steps back against the wall.

“Girls,” Dan asks. They both step forward and look at him. “Would you retrieve Louise, please? I’m going to need my emotional support with me today.”

They nod in sync and quickly leave the room.

Louise comes in a half hour later.

“Sorry, hun. I was talking with Matt.”

Dan smiles. “How is he?”

“Good. His graduation is in a month. He’d appreciate it if you came but he understands if it’s too difficult.”

“I’d love to come. I’m sure there will be some protocol to follow or something but tell him I won’t miss it.”

Louise laughs and nods. “So,” she says, drawing with word out. “Is today your wedding day?”

Dan sighs. “Yeah, it is.”

She seems surprised at that.

“You chose Pj?”

Dan nods.

“Huh. I thought for sure you’d choose Phil.”

He laughs. “Maybe you don’t know me as well as you think then.”

“I’m still your best friend, even if I got one small detail wrong.”

“Who I’m marrying is not a small detail.”

“Oh shush you!” she laughs. “How’s my best friend on his wedding day then?”

Dan looks down. “Nervous as hell,” he says.

“There’s no need to be nervous. You’re just getting married so you can become king in a few days. This is totally normal twenty-year-old stuff.”

Dan shoves her. “Not helping.”

She laughs. “Well, I tried. What do you expect from me?”

Dan laughs too. “I was actually hoping you could maybe come with me today as I do the final touches. I’m going to need emotional support?”

“Emotional support, you say?” another voice says. Dan spins around and sees his mother who’s holding her new baby, Dan’s half-sister.

“Mum!” he exclaims, standing from the couch to hug her. “Is this Emma?” Dan asks, looking at the baby.

“No, I kidnapped someone’s baby on the way here,” his mother says sarcastically.

Dan rolls his eyes. “Can I hold her?”

His mum nods and hands Emma over to Dan, showing him how to hold her properly. After Dan’s got her, she goes to talk to Louise.

“How are you, sweet?”

“Good, thank you. How are you?”

“Ah, I’m chugging along. This little one keeps me up all night,” she laughs, looking back at her baby.

“Oh my god, Dan, stay right there. I need a photo,” Louise says quickly, pulling out her phone.

“What? Why?”

“Shut up and pose. You look too cute with your little sister.”

Louise takes the photo and shows Dan and his mum. They nod in approval and Dan says she should send it to him.

Dan gives Emma back to his mum and then proceeds to show her around his rooms. He places one of his crowns on Emma which makes her giggle and reach for his hand.

“Prince Daniel, Paolo will be here shortly. You must see the tailors to make sure your suit fits perfectly.”

Dan nods so Olivia knows he heard her, and she walks off.

“Ready to get a brother-in-law?”

Emma hiccups in reply, making the three adults laugh.

~~~~

His suit is perfect when he tries it on. And Paolo works his magic; Dan’s hair is curled perfectly and he even has a little makeup put on to hide his few blemishes.

Soon enough, the wedding’s about to start and the guests are seated. Dan opens the door slightly to see who’s there and spots Clarisse’s head security officer in front of the door.

“Joe,” Dan says.

“Prince Daniel,” Joe answers.

“I just wanted to say, before I do this, that I’m sorry you’re retiring.”

He seems alarmed at Dan’s words, which doesn’t surprise him. Dan doesn’t doubt the news of his retirement is supposed to be a secret. He doesn’t question how Dan knows, though. As that would be rude.

“Well, the heart does things for reasons that reason cannot understand.”

Dan nods in understanding. After all, he agreed to the date with Phil even though reason told him it was a terrible idea.

The key difference though, is that the date with Phil was a terrible idea. Phil had set him up and Dan has no way of taking back his actions. He can only hope to gain Pj’s and Genovia’s trust with future acts of integrity.

Joe, on the other hand, is retiring for a chance to be with the love of his life. Dan’s not sure who his love is, but he can tell Joe feels very strongly about her.

“With that in mind, you should know, Phil didn’t set you up at the lake,” Joe says.

Dan himself is surprised at the words.

“How do you know that?” he asks.

Joe chuckles. “The maids know everything.”

Dan nods. “Fair enough.”

He closes the door after that. He can’t be thinking about Phil right now. He’s to be married to Pj any minute now and he needs to focus on that. Not stupid Philip Lester who is actually super sweet and didn’t set Dan up.

Dan shakes his head to clear his thoughts of Phil.

“Okay, here you go,” he says in an attempt to psych himself up.

Dan hears the choir start singing and shakes himself out.

The doors in front of him open and he smiles at Joe, who gives him a little nod.

He starts walking then, flowers in hand. He sees Louise off to the side at the end of the aisle. She’s the maid of honor, but she likes to call herself the ‘groom’s maid’ instead of bride’s maid.

His mother is seated in the front row and Dan catches her eye. She smiles and waves Emma’s hand at him. Dan’s newly-appointed step-father is next to them in his nicest suit.

Pj’s guests are on the other side of the aisle, and Dan looks over at them. His future family. He’s never even met them and he’s about to be related to them.

Dan’s eyes widen then and he stops walking. He sees the confused glances of his and Pj’s guests. His eyes speed around the room, briefly making eye contact with lots of different people. He looks at Pj then, who’s looking back at him in confusion.

Dan swallows hard.

“I can’t,” he whispers. The guests nearest him surely heard him but he doesn’t care.

He shakes his head, feeling himself panic.

Before he’s really even aware of what he’s doing, he’s turning around and running back down the aisle.

People gasp and whisper among themselves but Dan couldn’t care less. He just needs to leave the chapel and a minute to breathe.

He bursts out the doors of the palace and there’s press everywhere. They’re taking photos of him and shouting at him to look their way.

He’s overwhelmed. He really needs a minute along but he can’t find it.

Dan waves politely at the press and smiles as he quickly runs off to the side where he knows there’s an alcove hidden from public view.

Once he’s there, he squats and wraps his arms around himself.

“Okay, breathe,” he tells himself, trying to slow his breathing. “You can do this, you can.”

“Daniel,” Clarisse says, sounding disappointed.

Dan stands back up.

“I’m sorry, Grandma.”

“No,” she says.

“I can do this. I can do this,” he tells himself, still fretting.

“No,” Clarisse says again, sternly.

Dan looks at her, confused.

“I can’t do this,” he says, close to tears from all the pressure.

“I know. Listen, Daniel. I made my choice. Duty to my country over love. It seems to be what I’ve always done. It’s been drummed into me my whole life. Now I’ve lost the only man I ever truly loved.”

Dan sees something move off to the side and looks over to see Joe. It makes sense that he’s followed them. But with the timing of it, something clicks in Dan and he looks back at his grandma.

“Joe?” he asks in a whisper.

Clarisse smiles and nods slightly.

“Daniel, I want you to make your own choices. Don’t make the same mistakes I did. Make your own mistakes. There will be plenty of them, trust me.”

Dan nods, teary eyed.

“Now,” Clarisse continues. “You can go back into that church and get married to Peter James. Or you can walk away. Whatever you choose, make sure it comes from the heart. Okay? That’s the only way you’ll know it’s the right choice.”

Dan thinks on her words before hugging her tightly.

He’s made up his mind. He knows what she says is true. He needs to trust his heart. It may ruin everything he’s worked towards over the last few years, but he knows it’s the right decision.

Dan pulls away and Clarisse nods at him.

“Okay,” he says more to himself than to his grandma.

“Okay,” she echos.

They enter the palace again, smiling and waving at the press as they go.

Dan hears the choir start again as they spot him and one of the guards to the side offers him the flowers he held when he was here not five minutes ago.

He declines the offer though, and starts to walk swiftly up the aisle. Dan smiles as he hears the choir speed up; it sounds odd for the tune to be so fast.

He gets to the steps where Pj greets him. Dan hooks his hand around Pj’s arm and they walk up the steps together.

Dan stops before they reach the top step, though.

“Wait,” he says.

Pj turns to look at him.

“Everyone deserves a shot at true love, don’t they?” Dan says.

Pj tilts his head but nods anyway.

“Even us?” he asks, holding up his engagement ring to show it’s not on his finger.

Pj takes the ring as it’s his father’s wedding ring.

“Uh,” he says, clearly trying to make sense of what’s happening. “Thank you,” he decides to say.

“What for?” Dan asks, laughing lightly.

“For saving me from doing the proper thing for once in my life.”

Dan smiles sadly. “You’re welcome.”

“Now all I have to do is tell Mama.”

Dan giggles. “I have to tell everyone else,” he says, smiling nervously.

They look at each other and say, “Good luck,” in sync.

They spare a quick hug before Pj takes a seat next to his mother and little sister.

Dan heads for the stand off to the side of the chapel where he was supposed to give a speech after the wedding.

He clears his throat. “Okay,” he tells himself, but he’s a little too close to the microphone as it’s repeated through the chapel’s speakers.

He blushes but shakes it off. He has to do this. If he has any chance at still being king, he has to do this.

“A few moments ago, I realised I was only getting married because of a law,” he says. “And, in all honesty, that just doesn’t seem like a good enough reason.”

He ignores the few whispers in the crowd and looks at Pj who gives him the thumbs up.

“So,” he continues, “I won’t be getting married today.”

He catches his grandma at the back of the chapel and she nods at him. He smiles, glad he hasn’t upset her with his decision.

“My grandmother has ruled without a man at her side for quite some time. And I think she rocks at it.”

Dan pauses as a few people laugh and a few more whisper.

“So I ask now, why should I have to marry to rule Genovia, when my grandmother is an excellent Queen without a husband?”

Dan sees a few people nod in agreement and smiles, glad he’s getting somewhere with the people.

“I would like the royal council to imagine their sons, their daughters, nieces and nephews, brothers and sisters. And ask themselves, would you make any of them do what you’re trying to make me do?”

The chapel is silent and Dan’s not sure what to say. He thought one of the council members would say something, even if it was to argue against him.

He smiles and decides to continue before the silence lingers for too long.

“I believe I will make a great king. I understand Genovia to be a land that connects the beauty of the past, with all the best hopes of the future.”

He pauses.

“I feel in my heart and soul that I can rule Genovia. I- I love Genovia. Do you think I would be up here in a suit about to get married if I didn’t?”

People laugh and Dan smiles, glad to break some of the tense silence. He peers over to Louise who’s smiling widely at him.

“I stand here today, ready to take my place as king.” He pauses. “Without a husband or wife.”

People clap after he finishes his speech and he feels proud as he looks at the citizens of Genovia.

Suddenly, someone stands up and starts speaking in a loud, grough voice. Dan recognises the man as Viscount quickly and he has half a mind to question why he was even invited.

He looks beside the man for Phil but doesn’t see him. He’s a little disheartened that Phil didn’t attend, but he also understands that it would probably be uncomfortable for him to see Dan marry another man.

“Every time this _charming_ young man opens his mouth, he demonstrates an attempt to destroy the customs of Genovia. The law clearly states that only Genovian-born royals can be crowned without marriage to a Genovian-born royal. Prince Daniel, here, was born in England. He is not eligible.”

Viscount turns around to face Dan.

“Fortunately,” he continues. “There is another heir to Genovia. A full-blood royal ready to take his crown.”

“No there is not,” someone else says.

Dan looks over to the new person and sees Phil standing there in his suit and coat. His hair is windblown and Dan can tell he rushed over here from his home.

“I decline,” Phil says, face completely stoic. “I refuse to be king.”

Whispers break out across the chapel and even Dan’s confused as to what’s going on. He thought for sure that Phil wanted the crown after the lake. But then he remembers what Joe had told him. Sure, the maids’ gossip could have been false. But Phil standing there declining the crown publicly? Not even Dan can deny Phil’s words are true.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, I believe Prince Daniel will make a wonderful king. He is intelligent, and he is kind and honest. But more importantly, he has a vision for Genovia’s future. One that will take this wonderful country forward into a more modern future. I have no doubt. And if the council was astute, they would name him king.”

The hall is completely silent and Dan smiles to himself, blushing at Phil’s compliment.

“Besides,” he continues. “Just think how lovely he’ll look on our postage stamp.”

That breaks the tension as people laugh.

Viscount is not impressed, though, as he glares at Phil.

“‘Lovely on a postage stamp’?” he mimics angrily. “You would look lovely on a postage stamp!”

Phil chuckles and turns to walk away.

“Don’t you walk away from me!”

Viscount shuffles out of the row and starts heading down the aisle, looking at where Phil is.

“Get back here! You have an obligation to Genovia!” 

Viscount stops shortly to notice everyone watching him.

“He is, uh, very distressed. One moment!” he shouts before rushing from the room.

People laugh at his chaotic exit and turn back to Dan. The head of the royal council rushes up to him.

“Make a motion,” he says, coughing to cover his words.

“I’m sorry?” Dan whispers to him, holding a hand over the microphone so the audience can’t hear.

“Make a motion,” he says again, still coughing.

“Do you need a drink?” Dan asks, ready to summon a guard or maid to get the man a drink.

He shakes his head though.

“Make a motion,” he says, coughing less so that Dan can understand.

“Oh,” he says, before nodding.

“Head of council,” he says to get everyone’s attention.

“Yes, Prince?” the head of council asks, resting his arm on the side of the mini-balcony where Dan stands.

“I move to abolish the marriage law as it applies to present and future rulers of Genovia.”

Dan sees a few people nod in agreement.

“Will anyone second my motion?” he asks.

The hall’s silent and Dan’s suddenly not so sure this is going to work. Maybe his whole speech was for naught. Maybe he’ll never be king and he’ll go back to being a regular British citizen living with his mother, his step-father and his new baby sister.

Sure, the idea doesn’t sound terrible. But he was so sure this would work out. He was so sure he would be king after his speech.

“Keep eye contact with them. Stare them down,” the head of council says, coughing again to cover his words.

Dan nods and starts glaring at the council.

“No, no, soften,” he says this time.

“Oh.” Dan looks at the audience gently, smiling at them in hopes of having them support him.

It’s silent for what feels like hours before one council member stands up.

“I second the motion.” Dan sighs and looks to the head of council but the man continues. “It’s time we had a new tradition. I like change.”

Dan looks briefly at his grandma who’s clearly pleased at the councilman’s words.

“All those in favour of abolishing the marriage rule, say ‘aye’.”

It’s silent for what feels like another hour before another councilman stands.

“Aye,” he says.

Another man stands up. “Aye.”

Soon enough, all the men are saying ‘aye’ and the head of council nods.

“The ‘ayes’ have it,” he announces.

Dan smiles and councilman who seconded his motion speaks up. “Congratulations, Prince. If I do say so myself, you rule!”

Dan laughs along with his audience and the councilmen sit back down. He’s not sure what’s going to happen now, but he has a feeling when he sees his grandma talking to Joe.

~~~~

Dan’s about to get crowned and he’s surprising himself at how not-nervous he is. He’s completely calm and prepared for everything that’s about to happen.

He sees his grandma across the staircase at the other entrance and she nods at him, smiling. Dan nods back, and then he gets the all clear to start walking.

Once he reaches the top of the stairs and turns to head down them, his grandma doing the same on the mirrored staircase.

He sees Phil in the audience and smiles at him. Phil smiles back and gives him a subtle thumbs up.

Dan and Clarisse reach the bottom of the steps and Dan walks to the front of the throne. Clarisse stops to the side.

She’s got the big fancy crown on and Dan’s suddenly scared at what that crown symbolises.

He can’t even shake himself out as all eyes are on him.

The pope, who had officiated Clarisse’s and Joe’s wedding after Dan’s almost-wedding, is there to guide him up the few steps and to the throne.

He bunches up the robe he’s wearing and turns around. He smiles and looks at his soon-to-be citizens before taking a seat.

The pope hands him the royal scepter and orb, held by all royals during their crowning.

“Will you solemnly promise and swear to govern the people of Genovia according to the statutes laid out by the royal council and previous kings and queens, as well as the respective laws and customs of the same? Will you, in your power, cause law and justice and mercy to be executed in all judgements?”

Dan sighs and looks at Clarisse one last time as the prince.

“I solemnly promise so to do,” he says loudly and clearly.

Dan stands as everyone starts singing the Geonvian anthem. 

Once the anthem ends, Dan’s standing in front of the doors to the balcony. Through those doors, _his_ people await.

“Presenting his majesty, Daniel James Howell Ronaldi, King of Genovia.”

~~~~

After his coronation, there’s a party. And after the party, he and the guests go outside for him to shoot the flaming coronation arrow.

While he was completely fine about being crowned, he’s nervous about archery. Sure, he’s practised loads, but he’s nowhere near perfect.

Despite everything that he’s been through, missing this arrow is a big deal. Lighting the coronation ring symbolises his everlasting loyalty to Genovia. Missing is seen as bad luck for the new king or queen.

Dan shakes himself from his thoughts as the arrow’s head is lit. He can feel the heat coming off it but doesn’t let that put him off.

He lines up his shot, remembering his training. He lowers his elbow as Pj had taught him, and touches his hand to his mouth as Phil had shown him.

He lets go and watches the arrow, holding his breath. Thankfully, it goes straight through the middle, lighting the ring, and the party-goers cheer.

Dan looks behind himself and sees Pj hand-in-hand with Chris. Pj smiles when he catches Dan’s eye and mouths ‘thank you’.

After the bow is taken off him, he mingles with his guests.

Before long, it’s late at night and Dan excuses himself to go to his rooms.

He doesn’t get there though as he looks back briefly to look at Pj again and runs into someone.

He falls to the ground with an ‘oof’ and looks back to see who he’d ran into.

“Phil,” he says, smiling.

“King Daniel,” Phil says in return, making Dan blush a little. “I was actually just on my way to request an audience with you.”

Dan laughs. “It’s basically midnight.”

Phil shrugs. “It was important.”

“Well, what is this audience for, then?” Dan asks, laughing as Phil gets down on one knee.

“I have a dilemma.”

Dan rolls his eyes playfully. He has an idea where this is going, especially now that he knows Phil hadn’t set him up at the lake.

“What is this dilemma?”

“You, your majesty,” he says, wobbling and having to put his hand on the ground to keep his balance. “I am in love with the new king. I am here to inquire if he feels the same way towards me?”

Dan chuckles, remembering that people usually brought gifts when they sought an audience with Queen Clarisse.

“Do you have a chicken for my table?” he asks, pointing his nose at the ceiling in an attempt to look like a stuck up, posh, rich man.

Phil laughs at Dan’s words. “My apologies, King Daniel. My kitchen is all out of chickens.”

Dan sighs. “Ah, well then,” he says.

He looks back at Phil and Phil stands up, swaying slightly as he does so.

Dan laughs from happiness and rushes forward to hug Phil.

Once they pull away, Dan catches Phil looking at his lips and then back at his eyes repeatedly.

“Dan,” he whispers.

Dan smiles hard and connects his lips to Phil.

And for the first time since they’ve met, they’re allowed to.

Lips touch lips, and it’s as perfect as it’s always felt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Wow! It’s all over! What did you think?! Tori and I are both very proud of this fic so we hope you enjoyed reading it as much as we enjoyed writing it! - Christy


End file.
